
Qass_ 
Book _ 



COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT 



WINFIELD SCOTT. 



THE LIVES 



WOFIELD SCOTT 



ANDREW JACKSON. 



J. T. HEADLEY, 

'ATJTnOROF NAPOLEON AND HIS MARSHALS," "WASHINGTON AND HIS GENERALS,' 
&C., &C., &C. 




NEW YORK : 

CHARLES SCRIBNER, 145 NASSAU STREET. 

1852. 






Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1S52, by 

CUAKLES SCEIBNER, 

In the Clerk's Office of the District Court for the Southern District of New York. 



Stereotyped and Printed by 

C. W. BENEDICT, 
201 William Street, N. Y. 



PREFACE. 



The following is designed to be the comraenceraent of a 
series of biographical sketches of distinguished men of the 
present generation. The extent to which it is carried will de- 
pend entirely on the success that attends it. There are many 
deserving a place in history, whose lives, nevertheless, do not 
furnish sufficient material for a complete book. These will be 
grouped together as circumstances may determine. No at- 
tempt has been made to give the various officers which served 
under Generals Scott and Jackson, their proper praise. This 
belongs to their individual sketches, or general history of the 
war. Scott and Jackson are here placed together, as the two 
military men who have made the deepest impressions on their 
country since the time of Washington. No other two have 
given it such character at home, or reputation abroad. Dif- 
fering widely in some characteristics, they were very similar in 
others. 



VI PREFACE. 

To tliose who may suspect the writer of endeavoruig to 
wield a pohtical influence, he would say, that one of these 
biographies was completed, and the other begun, and the con- 
tract for both made before either party had nominated its can- 
didate. Political matters had nothing to do with their pro- 
duction. The materials for them have been accumulating for 
nearly ten years, and there seems to be no reason why a pub- 
lication should be deferred, because the unexpected conjunc- 
tion of political events might give it, for the time being, a 
partizan character. If political pamphleteering had been the 
object, the sketch of Gen. Scott would have been used alone 
long ago, and scattered on the wings of the wind. But if 
men will insist that the time of its appearance is injudicially 
chosen, the work will be compelled to wrap itself up in its own 
rights, and falling back on the great laios of ■precedmce^ adduce 
the English Constitution, the usage of all nations, as proof that 
the parties should retire till its brief existence is run. In other 
words, the hook has the floor, and the speaker's hammer must 
protect its rights. 

Thus much may be said without blame ; but a writer may 
go farther, and insist that any time is proper in which to nar- 
rate the deeds of a man who has deserved well of his country. 
If his actions are worthy of record, the most appi-opriatc mo- 
ment for bringing them forward is when he is about to receive 
the reward of his deeds. There is a wide difference between 
writing a man into eminence, because unforeseen occurrences 
may place him in political power, and in defending and prais- 
ing one whose claims to immortality neither present success nor 
failure can affect. 

Many officers under Scott have been consulted in preparing 



PREFACE. VU 

this biogi'aphy, while Mansfield's Ilistory of the Mexican War 
is referred to as the best, or, indeed, the only reliable authority 
in the great movements and features of the campaign. 

Kendell's and Jenkins' Life of Jackson, newspapers of the 
time, Niles' Register, etc., are the chief soiu'ces of information 
in sketching the hfe of Jackson. 



CONTENTS 



WINFIELD SCOTT. 

PAGB 

CHAPTER I. 

Scott's Birth and Parentage — Became a Lawyer — Enters the Army — His 
Trial by Conrt-niartial, and Suspension — His Studies — Ee-enters tlie Army 
— Battle of Queenstown — Scott a Prisoner — Conflict with two Indians — 
Protection of his Irish Soldiers — Attack and Capture of Fort George, . 13 

CHAPTER H. 

Scott superintends the Camp of Instruction at Buffalo — Drills the Army — 
Crosses the Niagara — Pursues the Marquis of Tweesdale behind the Chip- 
pewa — Battle of Chippewa — Company of Backwoodsmen — Battle of Niagara 
— Charge of Miller — Scott's Wound and Last Orders — Journey to Wash- 
ington — Reception at Princeton — Black Hawk War — Scott amid the 
Cliolera — Is challenged by Jackson — Becomes interested in the cause of 
Temperance — Takes command in South Carolina to crush tlie Disuniouists 
— Settles the Difficulties on the Northern Frontier — Pursues the Chcro- 
kees ,86 

CHAPTER HI. 

Scott preserves peace on the Maine boundary — Friendship betv,een him and 
the Governor of New "ruuswick — Appomted Commander-in-Chief — 



X CONTENTS. 

PAGK 

Treatment at Washington — ^Takes charge of tlie Army in Mexico — Mar- 
tial Law orders — Pire in the Eear — Landing at Vera Cruz — The Siege and 
Captui'e of the City — March to Cerro Gordo — The Battle — Entrance of 
Jalapa — Of Puebla — Reduction of the Army, 70 

CHAPTER IV. 

The Army at Puebla — ^Description of the Scenery — Arrival of Eeinforce- 
ments — Departure for Mexico — Ascent to the Cordilleras — Magnificent 
Scenery — First View of the Plain and City of Mexico — The Eoad found 
Impassible — Difficult March round Lake Chalco to the Acapulco Eoad — 
Attack on Contreras — Suffering and Anxiety of the Army at Night- 
Storming of the Fort — Enthusiastic Eeception of Scott by bis Victorious 
Troops — San Antonio Taken— The Three Battles of Churubusco — The 
Flight and Pursuit — Scott after Battlc^The Moxicans propose an Armis- 
tice, 93 

CHAPTER V. 

Tlie Armistice— Scott resolves to carry Chapultepec by Storm — Description 
of tlic Fortress— Battle of Molino del Ecy— The Field after the Victory— 
The Condition and Prospects of the Army at this time — Misbehavior of 
the Government — Defence of Scott — His Plan of assaulting Chapultepec — 
Day preceding the Battle— The Final Attack, 180 



ANDREW JACKSON. 



CHAPTER I. 



Jackson's Boyhood— Left an Orphan— His Mother— Massacre at Waxhaw — 
At thirteen becomes a Soldier— First Battle— His Courage— Taken Prisoner 
—His Republican Spirit— Is "Wounded— Presence of Mind— Digs through 
his prison walls to see Greene's Encampment- llobkirk-hill— His Eelease 
and Ivctitfn Home— Heroism of his Mother— Visits Charleston— Studies 



CONTENTS. xi 



Law — Eemoves to Tennessee — Fights a Bnlly— Pm-sued by Indians— His 
Chivalry — Jealousy of Eobai-ds — Marries Mrs. Eobards — Daring Arrest — 
Attacked by a mob — Becomes a Farmer — Duel with Dickinson — His failure 
—Defends the wronged — Care of tho Sick — Tecumseb — His Eloquence — 
Massacre of Fort Mimms — Jackson enters the Creek Country — Attacks 
the Indians — The Battle — Distress of his Troops — Mutiny in his Army — 
Quells a Mutiny — A second Mutiny — Defeats the Indians — Attacked by 
Indians — Eeinforcements — Battle of the Horse Shoe— Saves a Warrior — 
Ends the War— His Eesolution, 203 

CHAPTER ir. 

Appointed Major-General — Attack on Fort Bowyer — March on Pensacola — 
Advances to New Orleans — Excitement in the City — Landing of the British 
— Jackson's Night Attack — Eesolves to Entrench himself — Turns the Le- 
gislature out of doors — British advance to the Assault and are Eepulsed — 
Second Attack — Arrival of Eeinforcements, and Final Battle — Jackson 
Fined by Judge Hall — Eeturns Home — Sent to Quell the Indians in Florida 
— Conduct there— Appointed Governor-*<Kected to the United States 
Senate — Democratic Candidate for President — Elected President — Veto of 
United States Bank — ^Elected for a Second Term — Arrests the Spirit of 
Disunion — Eeview of his Administration — He retires to Private Life — His 
Last Illness and Death, 291 



WINFIELD SCOTT. 



CHAPTEE I. 

Bcott's Birth and Parentage— Became a La-^Ter— Enters the Army— His Trial by 
Court-martial and Suspension— His Btudiea— Ee-enters the Army— Battle of 
Queenstown— Scott a Prisoner— Conflict with Two Indians— Protection of his 
Irish Soldiers — Attack and Capture of Fort George. 

"Weshfield Scott was born on the 13tli of June, 1786, 
near Petersburg!!, Yirginia. His ancestors were 
Scotch. The elder brother of his grandfather fell on 
the field of Culloden ; and the latter, involved in the 
same rebellion, emigrated to this country, and com- 
menced the practice of law in Yirginia. He lived, 
however, but a few years, leaving two sons and several 
daughters. "Winfield was the youngest of the sons, 
and was only five years of age at the time of his 
father's death. Twelve years after, the wife followed 
the husband to the grave, and young Scott, seventeen 
years old, was left an orphan in the world. It was 
determined by those who had the charge of him, to 
give him an education, and he was placed at a High 
School in Pichmond, under the charge of Mr. Ogilvie, 



14 WINTIELD SCOTT. 

a man of distinction. Thence Le went to "William and 
Mary's College, and attended law lectures for a year 
or more. He finished his legal studies under Mr. 
Robertson, a Scotchman, and in 1806 was admitted 
to the bar. lie had galloj)ed through his course at 
a pace that precluded thoroughness, and proper fit- 
ness for his profession. Preparatory studies, college, 
law course, and all, occupied only three years, and at 
the age of twenty he was a practising lawyer. The 
rapidity with which he disposed of the piles of 
learning, ordinarily deemed essential to a finished 
lawyer, remind one of Goldsmith, who went through 
the whole circle of sciences in Edinburgh in six 
months. 

Not succeeding very well around his native place, 
young Scott removed to Charleston, in the hopes of 
establishing himself there ; but the laws of the State 
forbade any one to practise law within its limits who 
had not been a resident for at least one year, and 
failing to obtain an exemption in his favor, he 
abandoned his project, and returned to Virginia. At 
this time the troubles with England began to assume 
a more serious character, and the expectation became 
general that they would end in war. Scott shared in 
this expectation, and like many other gallant young 
men of the south, turned from the profession of law to 
the army. In the spring of 1808, a bill for the en- 
largement of the army passed Congress, and Scott, 



TRIED BY COURT MARTIAL. 15 

who had applied for a commission in the new regi- 
ments, was appointed a captain of light artillery. 
During this year the purchase of Louisiana from 
France was eiFected, and General Wilkinson was 
stationed there to protect New Orleans from any 
hostile acts on the part of Great Britain. Scott be- 
longed to his division. The next year Hampton 
assumed the command, though Wilkinson remained 
on the field of operations. Scott, coinciding with 
those who believed that Wilkinson was in Burr's con- 
fidence, and hence involved in the conspiracy of the 
latter, indulged rather freely in remarks on his supe- 
rior ofiicer. As a natural consequence, he was arrested 
and tried by court-martial. The first charge, intended 
as a mere rider to the second, that he had intention- 
ally withheld money from his troops, was declared 
groundless. The second, of unofiicer-like conduct in 
using disrespectful language towards his superior 
officer, was sustained, for Scott acknowledged it, and 
attempted to justify it. Failing in this, he was sus- 
pended from the army for one year. To a sensitive, 
ambitious young officer, panting for distinction, this 
arrest of his footsteps on the threshold of his career, 
was painful in the extreme ; yet he lived to be thank- 
ful for it. Returning to Virginia, he cast about to see 
how he should spend the interval of idleness. His for- 
tunate star guided him to B. Watkins Leigh, who ad- 
vised him to devote himself to the study of his pro- 



16 WINFIELD SCOTT. 

fession, — especially military tactics. He offered liim 
his library and his house, and Scott spent the year in 
mastering his profession. The knowledge of military 
art he gained during this period of his disgrace, the 
caution and skill it taught him to mingle with his 
chivalric feelings and boiling courage, laid the foun- 
dation of his after brilliant career. 

Tlie cloud at this time along the political horizon 
gathered thicker and darker every hour, and the 
young captain of artillery feared it would burst be- 
fore he should assume his place and rank. The hol- 
low, disgraceful peace, however, continued, and at 
the close of the year he again took his position in 
the army. 

Tlie next year, war was declared, and a month 
after, in July, he was commissioned lieutenant-colo- 
nel in the 2d artillery, then under the command of 
Izard, and was ordered to the Niagara frontier to 
assist the army of invasion. The two companies of 
Towson and Barker were under his command, with 
which he was to protect the navy yard at Black 
Kock. 

At this time the northern army, numbering be- 
tween eight and ten thousand soldiers, was princi- 
pally concentrated in two points. One portion lay 
near Plattsburgh and Greenbush, and was under the 
direct command of General Dearborn, who was also 
commander-in-chief of all the forces on the northern 



AT NIAGARA. 17 

frontier. The otlier portion was congregated at 
Lewistown, under the command of General Stephen 
Van Rensalaer, of New York, while 1,500 regulars, 
under General Smythe lay at Buffalo, a few miles 
distant. There were a few troops stationed also at 
Ogdensburg, Sackett's Harbor, and Black Rock. 

Tlie discontent produced by Hull's surrender, and 
the loud comjjlaiuts against tbe inaction of the 
northern army, together with tlie consciousness that 
something must be done to prevent tlie first year of 
war from closing in unmixed gloom, induced General 
Van Rensalaer to make a bold push into Canada, 
and by a sudden blow attempt to wrest Jamestown 
from the enemy, and there establish his winter 
cpiarters. 

The cutting out of two English brigs* from under 
the guns of Fort Erie, by Lieutenant Elliot with some 
fifty volunteers, created an enthusiasm in the Amer- 
ican camp of which Gen. Yan Eensalaer determined 
to avail himself. 

Giving the command of the expedition to his 
cousin. Col. Solomon Yan Rensalaer, a brave and 
chivalric officer, the latter on the 13th of October, 
at the head of three hundred militia, accomj^anied 
by Col. Chrystie with three hundred regular troops, 

* One of those, the Caledonia, afterwards did good service as a 
part of the fleet of Perry on Lake Erie. The other having gone 
aground, was burnt, to prevent recapture. 



18 WIN FIELD SCOTT. 

began to cross the river. It wanted still an liour 
to daylight, when the two columns stood in battle 
array on the shore. Throngh carelessness or inabil- 
ity to obtain them there were not sufficient boats to 
take all over at once, and they were compelled to 
cross in detachments. The boat which carried Col. 
Chrystie being badly managed, was swept away by 
the current, and finally compelled to re-land on the 
American shore. This gallant officer was wounded 
while thus drifting in the stream, yet soon after he 
made another attempt to cross, and succeeding, led 
his troops nobly until the close of the action. 

Col. Yan Eensalaer having effected a landing, 
formed on the shore and marched gallantly forward. 
The whole force at this time did not exceed one 
hundred men. These, however, were led up the 
bank and halted to wait the anival of the other 
troops that kept arri\dng, a few boat loads at a time. 
But daylight now ha^dng da^^^led, the exposed posi- 
tion of this detachment rendered it a fair mark for 
the enemy, who immediately opened their fire upon 
it. In a few minutes every commissioned officer 
-vvas either killed or wounded. Col. Yan Rensalaer 
fi.nding that the bank of the river afforded very lit- 
tle shelter, determined with the handful under his 
command, to stonn the heights. But he had now 
received four wounds, and scarcely able to stand, 



BATTLE OF QUEENSTOWX, 19 

gave tlie command to Captains Ogilvio and Wool,* 
who gallantly led on and swept everything before 
them. The fort was carried and the heights occu- 
pied, amid the loud huzza of the troops. The ene- 
my were driven into a strong stone house, from which 
they made two unsuccessful attempts to regain the 
ground they had lost. Brock flushed with the easy 
victory he had gained over Hull, rallied them by his 
presence, and while attempting to lead on the gren- 
adiers of the 49th, fell mortally wounded. This for 
a time gave the Americans undisturbed possession 
of the heights, and great eiforts were now made to 
bring over the other troops. Gen. Van Eensalaer, 
after the fall of his cousin, crossed over and took the 
command, but hastening back to urge on the em- 
barkation of the militia, the command fell on 
Gen. "Wadsworth, Avho, however, cheerfully gave 
the control of the movements to more experienced 
officers. 

Daylight had seen this brave little band form on 
the shores of the river under a galling fire, the 
morning sun glittered on their bayonets from the 
heights of Queenstown. Tlie victory seemed won ; 
and the day so gloriously begun would have closed 
in brighter effulgence, had not the militia on the 
farther side refused to cross over to the assistance 
of their hard-pressed comrades. A stone house near 
* Now General Wool. 



20 WINFIELD SCOTT. 

tlie bank defended by two light pieces of artillery, 
still played on the boats that attempted to cross, and 
the Americans on the Canada side, having no artil- 
lery, were unable to take it. The firing from this, 
and soon after the appearance of a large body of 
Indians on the field of battle, so frightened the mi- 
litia, that neither entreaties nor threats conld induce 
them to embark, Tlirough utter want of orderly 
management, half of the twenty boats had been 
destroyed or lost, still it was not the want of the 
means of transportation that held them back, but 
conscientious sc^'uples ahout invading an enemifs 
territory. Attempting to mask their cowardice un- 
der this ridiculous plea they stood and saw the dan- 
gers thicken around their comrades who had relied 
on their support, without making a single efibrt to 
save them from destruction. 

Lieutenant-colonel Scott by a forced march through 
mud and rain, had arrived at Lewistown with his 
regiment at four o'clock in the morning, and just as 
the troops were embarking. He begged permission 
to take part in the expedition, but the arrangements 
having all been made, his request was denied. He 
therefore planted his guns on the shore and opened 
his fire on the enemy. But seeing how small a pro- 
portion of troops were got across, and perceiving also 
the peril of Yan Rensalaer's detachment, his young 
and gallant heart could no longer allow him to be an 



TAKES COMMAND OF THE ARMY. 21 

idle spectator, and taking one piece of artillery lie 
jumped into a boat witli liis adjutant Roacli, and 
pushed for tlie opposite shore. Wadsworth imme- 
diately gave the command of the troops to him, and 
his chivalric bearing and enthusiastic language soon 
animated every heart with new courage. Six feet 
five inches in height and in full uniform, he pre- 
sented a conspicuous mark for the enemy. Had his 
regiment been with him, Queenstown would have 
been a second Chippewa. 

Considerable reinforcements, however, had ar- 
rived, swelling the number to six hundred, of whom 
three hundred and fifty were regular troops. Those, 
Scott, assisted by the cool and skilful Capt. Zitten, 
soon placed in the most commanding positions, and 
waited for further reinforcements. Just before, a 
body of five hundred Indians, whom the firing had 
suddenly collected, joined the beaten light trooj^s 
of the English. Encouraged by this accession of 
strength, the latter moved again to the assault, 
but were again driven back in confusion. Still the 
enemy kept up a desultory engagement. On one 
occasion, the Indians, issuing suddenly from the 
forest, surprised a picket of militia, and following 
hard on their flying tracks, carried consternation 
into that part of the line. Scott, who was in the 
rear, showing the men how to unspike a gun, hear- 
ing the tumult, hastened to the front, and rallying a 



22 WINFIELD SCOTT. 

few platoons, scattered those wild warriors with a 
single blow. But while the day was wearing away 
in this doubtful manner, a more formidable foe ap- 
peared on the Held. General Sheatfe, commanding 
at Fort George, had heard the firing in the morning, 
and a little later the news of the death of Brock was 
brought him. His troops were immediately put in 
motion, and soon after midday the little band that 
had from day dawn bravely breasted the storm, saw 
from the heights they had so gallantly won, a column 
eight hundred and fifty strong, approaching tlie scene 
of combat. Not in haste or confusion, but with slow 
and measured tread, they continued to advance. 
The three hundred Americans watched the approach 
of this new force with undaunted hearts, and 
turned to catch the outlines of their own advancing 
columns, but not a bayonet was moving to their 
help. At this critical moment news arrived of the 
shameful mutiny that had broke out on the opposite 
shore. The entreaties of Yan Kensalaer, and the 
noble example of Wadsworth, and the increasing- 
peril of their comrades, were wholly iinavailing — not 
a soul would stir. This sealed the fate of the 
American detachment. Tliree hundred, sustained 
by only one piece of artillery against the thirteen 
hundred of the enemy — their number when the 
junction of the advancing column with the remain- 
ing troops and the Indian allies should be effected — • 



SPEECH TO THE TEOOPS. 23 

constitHtcd hopeless odds. General Yan Kensa- 
lear, from tlie opposite shore, saw this, and sent 
word to "Wadsworth to retreat at once, and he 
■would send every boat he could lay hands on to 
receive the fugitives. lie however, left everything 
to his own judgment. Colonels Chrystie and Scott, 
of the regulars, and Mead, Strahan, and Allen of the 
militia, and officers Ogilvie, Wool, Totten, and Gib- 
son McChesney, and others, presented a noble yet 
sorrowful group, as they took council over this mes- 
sage of the commander-in-chief. Their case was 
desperate, yet they could not make up their minds 
to retreat. \ Col. Scott mounting a log in front of his 
troops, harangued them in a strain worthy of the 
days of chivalry. lie told them their condition was 
desperate, but that IIulFs surrender must be re- 
deemed. " Let us then die," he exclaimed, " arms 
in hand. Our country demands the sacrifice. The 
example will not be lost. The blood of the slain 
will make heroes of the living. Tliose who follow 
will avenge our fall, and our country's wrongs. 
"Who dare to stand?" a loud "All" rang sternly 
along the line.* ] In the meantime Gen. Sheafle had 
arrived, but instead of advancing immediately to 
the attack, slowly marched his column the whole 
length of the American line, then countermarched 
it, as if to make sure that the little band in front 

* Vide Mansfield's Life of Scott. 



24 WINFIELD SCOTT. 

was all tlie force he had to overcome. All saw at a 
glance that resistance was useless, and retreat almost 
as hopeless. The latter, however, was resolved upon, 
but the moment the order was given to retire, the 
whole broke in disorderly flight towards the river. 
But there were no boats to receive them, and a flag 
of truce was sent to the enemy. The messenger, 
however, never returned ; another and another 
shared the same fate. At last Scott tied a white 
handkerchief to his sword, and accompanied by 
Captains Totten and Gibson, crept under one of the 
precipices, down the river, till he arrived where a 
gentle slope gave an easy ascent, when the three 
made a push for the road, which led from the valley 
to the heights. On the way they were met by 
Indians, who having fired on the officers, rushed 
forward, with their tomahawks, to kill them. They 
would soon have shared the fate of the other mes- 
sengers, but for the timely arrival of a British of- 
ficer, with some soldiers, who took the officers to 
Gen. Sheafi'e, to whom Scott surrendered his whole 
force. Two hundred and ninety -three were all that 
survived of the brave band who had struggled so 
long and so nobly for victory. Several hundred 
militia, however, were found concealed along the 
shore, who had crossed over, but skulked away in 
the confusion. ) 

The entire loss of the Americans in this unfortunate 



TAKEN PRISONEK. 25 

expedition, killed and captured, waa about one thou- 
sand men. 

General Van Eensalaer, disgusted with the conduct 
of the militia, soon after sent in his resignation. 

Brock was next day buried " under one of the 
bastions of Fort George," and at the request of Scott, 
then a prisoner, minute guns were fired from Fort 
ISTiagara during the funeral ceremonies. . Above the 
dull distant roar of the cataract, the minute guns of 
friends and foes pealed over the dead, as with shrouded 
banners the slowly marching column bore him to his 
last resting place. Cannon that but a few hours be- 
fore had been exploding in angry strife on each other, 
now joined their peaceful echoes over his grave. 
Such an act was characteristic of Scott, who fierce 
and fearless in battle, was chivalrous and kind in all 
his feelings. 

While a prisoner in an inn at Niagara, Scott was 
told that some one wished to see the " tall American," 
Pie immediately passed through into the entry, when 
to his astonishment he saw standing before him two 
savage Indian chiefs, the same who would have killed 
him when he surrendered himself a prisoner of war, 
but for the interposition of a British officer. They 
had come to look on the man at whom they had so 
often fired with a deliberate aim. In broken English, 
and by gestures, they inquired where he was hit, for 

it was impossible that out of fifteen or twenty shots 

2 



26 WINFIELD SCOTT. 

not one bad taken effect. The elder chief, named 
Jacobs, a tall, jjowerful savage, grew furious at Scott's 
asserting that not a ball had touched him, and seizing 
bis shoulders rudely, turned him round to examine 
bis back. The young and fiery Colonel did not like to 
have such freedom taken with his person by a savage, 
and burling him fiercely aside, exclaimed, " Off, 
villain, you fired like a squaw." " We kill you now," 
was the quick and startling reply, as knives and 
tomahawks gleamed in their hands. Scott was not a 
man to beg or run, though either would have been 
preferable to taking his chances against these armed 
savages. Luckily for him, the swords of the Ameri- 
can ofiicers who had been taken prisoners, were stacked 
under the staircase beside which he was standing. 
Quick as thought he snatched up the largest, a long 
sabre, and the next moment it glittered unsheathed 
above his head. One leap backward, to get scope for 
play, and he stood towering even above the gigantic 
chieftain, who glared in savage hate upon him. The 
Indians were in the wider part of the hall, between 
the foot of the stairs and the door, while Scott stood 
farther in where it was narrower. The former, there- 
fore, could not get in the rear, and were compelled to 
face their enemy. They manceuvred to close, but at 
every turn that sabre flashed in their eyes. The 
moment they came to blows, one, they knew, was 
sure to die, and although it was equally certain that 



CONFLICT WITH TWO CHIEFS. 27 

Scott would fall under the knife of the survivor before 
he could regain his position, yet neither Indian 
seemed anxious to be the sacrifice. While they thus 
stood watching each other, a British officer chanced 
to enter, and on beholding the terrific tableaux, cried 
out at the top of his voice, " The guard," and at the 
same instant seized the tallest chief by the arm and 
presented a cocked pistol to his head. The next 
moment the blade of Scott quivered over the head of 
the other savage, to protect his deliverer. In a few 
seconds the guards entered with levelled bayonets, 
and the two chieftains were secured. One of them 
was the son of Brant, of revolutionary notoriety. 

The prisoners were all taken to Quebec, whence 
they were sent in a cartel to Boston. As they were 
about to sail, Scott, who was in the cabin of the 
transport, hearing a noise on deck, went up to ascer- 
tain the cause, and found that British officers were 
separating the Irishmen, to exclude them from mercy 
due to the other prisoners, and to have them taken to 
England and tried for treason. Twenty-three had thus 
been set apart when Scott arrived. Indignant at this 
outrage, he peremptorily ordered the rest of the men 
to keep silent and not answer a question of any kind, 
so that neither by their replies or voice they could 
give any evidence of the place of their birth. lie then 
turned to the doomed twenty-three, and denounced 
the act of the officers, and Bworo most solemnly that 



28 WINFIELD SCOTT. .* 

if a hair of their Leads was touched, he would avenge 
it, even if he was compelled to refuse quarter in. 
battle. The officers interrupted him again and again, 
and fiercely ordered him below. Boiling with rage, 
Scott indignantly refused to obey, high words and 
threats followed, but, though unarmed, he boldly 
maintained his ground. 

Soon after he reached Boston, he was sent to 
Washington, and in a short time was exchanged. 
^le then drew up a report of the whole affair to the 
Secretary of War, and it was presented the same day 
to Congress. The result was the passage of an act of 
retaliation (March 3d, 1813). Scott never lost sight 
of these unfortunate Irishmen, and at the capture of 
Fort George, in the latter part of May, having taken 
many prisoners, he selected out twenty-three as host- 
ages, to receive the same punishment which should 
be raeeted out to his brave soldiers. This led to 
similar acts on the part of the English in return, 
which caused much unnecessary suffering. Scott's 
decision, however, saved his Irish troops. Two years 
after, as he was passing along the East River in New 
York, he heard loud cheers on one of the piers, and 
turning his footsteps thither, found they proceeded 
from those very soldiers, just landed after a long im- 
prisonment. They quickly recognized their old com- 
mander and friend, and crowded around him with 
enthusiasm and clamorous gratitude, nearly crushing 



HIS IKISH SOLDIEES. 29 

tte still weak and wounded General in their arms. 
He immediately wrote to Washington, claiming in 
their behalf full pay, and soliciting patents for land 
bounties. Both were granted, and twenty-one out of 
the twenty-three lived to praise their benefactor in 
their adopted country. 

This love for his soldiers, care for their welfare, and 
rage at any neglect of their wants and rights, and 
stern determination to redress them, has always cha- 
racterized General Scott through his long military 
career. ISToble and magnanimous himself, he will not 
allow those under his protection to be treated with 
indignity. 

The campaign of 1813 opened with the capture of 
York. Soon after Scott joined the army at Fort 
ISTiagara as adjutant-general to Gen. Dearborn. But 
though chief of the staff, he claimed the right to 
command his own regiment in battle. 

The capture of York encouraged Gen. Dearborn 
to attack Forts George and Erie. Commodore Chaun- 
cey having at this time complete command of the 
lake, men and artillery could be easily transj^orted 
across, and the vessels used to cover the landing 
of the troops and co-operate in any attack that 
might be made. Gen. Dearborn at the head of four 
or five thousand men, embarked on board the vessels 
and boats on the morning of the 26th of May. At 
three o'clock the following morning the signal was 



30 WINFIELD SCOTT. 

given to weigli, and the little fleet moved silently 
toward the opposite shore. Col. Scott volunteered 
to lead the advance guard of five hundred men. 
These were the flower of the army, and when Gen. 
Dearborn placed them imder his command he knew 
that no common obstacle would arrest their charge. 
Col. Moses Porter, with the field train, was close be- 
hind, followed by the brigades of Gens. Boyd, 
Sheridan, Chandler, and a reserve under Col. C. 
Macomb. Captain Perry volunteered to accompany 
Scott, and superintend the embarkation of the troops. 
In the mean time. Commodore Chauncey had 
anchored his vessels close in shore, and before nine 
o'clock the guns of the Governor Tompkins had 
silenced the fort, and Scott, with his fleet of boats, 
swept swiftly towards the shore. As they drew near 
they were met by volleys of musketry that sent the 
spray in a shower about them, but with loud cheers 
they pressed forward. They knew the army was 
watching them with the deepest anxiety, and each 
emulating his comrade, and all filled with the spirit 
that animated their gallant young leader, could 
scarcely wait for the boats to reach the land, and 
many leaped over and waded to the shore. Hav- 
ing reached the beach, Scott drew up his little 
band under cover of the bank that rose eight 
or ten feet over their heads ; from the top of which 
bristled some fifteen hundred bayonets. Undaunted 



CAPTURES FOET GEORGE. 31 

by this formidable array and tbe bank tbat opposed 
liis progress, Scott ordered the charge. The men, 
with loud cheers, sprang up the steep ascent, but 
when near the summit were met with such overpow- 
ering force that they were hurled back. Gen. 
Dearborn standing on the deck of Chauncey's ship, 
and watching through his glass the result of the 
charge, saw the tall form of Scott fall backward 
down the bank upon the beach. Bursting into tears, 
he exclaimed, " lie is lost, he is killed !" The next 
moment, however, Scott sprang to his feet, and 
cheering on his men, led them again to the charge. 
Knocking up the bayonets as they clambered to the 
feet of their foes, they steadily pushed them back, 
and stood at last on the summit. Their shout of 
triumph was echoed from the boats below and from 
the ships in the distance. Scott having dressed his 
line, ordered the charge, and closing fiercely and at 
once with the enemy, drove them, after a sliar^? ac- 
tion of twenty minutes, in every direction before 
him. Some fled to the woods pursued by Forsythe, 
who had effected a landing, while others took refuge 
in the fort. This was immediately abandoned, but 
not till the trains and magazines had been fired. 
Scott was at this time opposite the fort, and im- 
mediately wheeled two companies from the head of 
his column to arrest the flames. Wlien within 
about eighty yards, one of the smaller magazines 



32 WINFIELD SOOTT. 

blew ui?, sending its fragments in every direction. 
A j)iece of flying timber struck Scott and lim-led 
bim from bis borse. Tbongh mucb burt, be pressed 
on witb bis men — ordered tbe gates to be forced, 
and was tbe first to enter. Capts. Ilindman and 
Stockton snatcbed away tbe matclies wbicb bad been 
applied to two otlier magazines, and tbe works were 
saved. Col. Porter wbo commanded tbe field artil- 
lery, bad efiected a landing directly in rear of Scott, 
and coming to bis assistance at tbe close of tbe bat- 
tle, followed close on bis beels in pursuit of tbe 
enemy. Wben tbe former turned to enter tbe fort, 
tbe gallant colonel rusbed after, to be tbe first to 
pull down tbe Britisb flag. But finding Scott abead 
of bim, be exclaimed, " Confound your long legs, 
Scott, you bave got in before me." No sooner bad 
tbe latter lowered tbe Englisb colors, tlian be again 
put bimself at tbe bead of bis column, in swift pur- 
suit of tbe fugitives. Disregarding tbe order to bait, 
be pressed forward five miles, wben be was arrested 
by General Boyd in person. Tbis ended tbe battle. 
Tlie loss on botb sides is difli'erently stated. Gen. 
Dearborn in bis report makes it on our side but 
seventeen killed and forty-five wounded, wbile tbat 
of tbe Britisb was ninety killed, sixty wounded, 
and one bundrcd prisoners. Among tbe latter 
was an Englisb cobuiel, wbo, tbe year before, at a 
supper party of Britisb ofiicers wbere Scott was pre- 



HIS MAGNANIMITY. 33 

sent just after liis capture at Queenstown, asked the 
latter if he had ever seen Niagara Falls. Scott said 
tliat ho had, from the American side. " But you 
must have the glory of a successful fight before you 
can view the cataract in all its grandeur," replied 
the officer in a sarcastic tone. " Sir," retorted Scott, 
if it be your intention to insult me, honor should 
have prompted you first to return me my sword." 

Scott, now the cajDtor, repaid this insult by every 
attention in his 23ower, returned the prisoner his 
horse, supplied all his wants, and finally obtained 
his return to England on parole. The British officer 
humbled at the contrast such conduct presented to 
his own, said to him one day, " I have long owed 
you an apology, sir. You have overwhelmed me 
with kindness. You can now, at your leisure, view 
the Falls in all theii' glonf. 

In July, Scott resigned his post as chief of the 
stafi", and received the command of a double regi- 
ment. 

In the beginning of autumn of this year, the grand 
campaign for the conquest of Canada, imder the con- 
trol of "Wilkinson, was set in motion. Kingston and 
Montreal were both to be taken, and thus both the 
Canadas fall into the hands of the Americans. In 
the meantime Scott was left in command of Fort 
George, which he instantly set about repairing, and 

soon put in a complete state of defence. Tlie com- 
2* 



34 WINFIELD SCOTT. 

mander of the Britisli force, stationed near, imitating 
the course pursued by other British officers to intimi- 
date the American troops, sent a summons to him to 
surrender, otherwise he ehoukl be compelled to storm 
the Fort, in which case he would not be responsible 
for the Indians. Scott replied to the messenger — • 
" tell your general to come on and storm the Fort, 
I will he Tesjponsible for tlie Indians^ The enemy, 
however, whom he was left to watch, breaking up 
his camp and following Wilkinson in his passage 
down the lake, he was ordered to join the command- 
ing general with the regular troops under him. He 
expected to have his regiment transported in Com- 
modore Chauncy's vessels down the lake, but Wil- 
kinson refusing to let the fleet be absent several days 
for that purpose, he was compelled to start on foot 
for Sackett's Harbour, and march by way of the 
Genessee river, Canandagua, and Utica. Heavy 
rains had made the roads intolerable, and the slow 
and wearisome march did not keep pace with his 
anxiety to join the army of invasion. Meeting the 
Secretary of "War, not far fi'om Utica, he obtained 
permission to reach it on the St. Lawi-ence, where- 
ever he could. Resigning his command to Major 
Hindman, he pushed on through stonn and mud, 
and finally overtook General Wilkinson at Ogdens- 
burg. He immediately received the command of a 



HE JOINS WILKINSON. 35 

clioice battalion, under Colonel Macomb, and led 
the advance guard down tbe St. Lawrence. 

It is unnecessary to chronicle the feeble and in- 
efficient conduct of Wilkinson, or the memorable 
fight at Chrysler's farms. Scott as leader of the ad- 
vance guard, had several skirmishes with the enemy, 
but nothing of importance occurred, and on the 12th 
of November, this grand army of invasion was 
ordered to retreat before a shadow and abandon its 
project. 

The ostensible reason, the refusal of Hampton to 
join him with his division as agreed upon, was not 
sufficient to justify Wilkinson's conduct. Had Scott 
been placed over that army, the American flag in a 
few days would have waved above Montreal. 



CHAPTEE 11. 

Scott Superintends tlie Camp of Instruction at Buffalo— Drills the Army— Crosses 
the Niagara— Pursues the Marquis of Tweesdale behind the Chippewa— Battle of 
Chippewa — Company of Backwoodsmen — Battle of Niagara — Charge of Miller — 
Scott's Wound, and Last Orders — Journey to "Washington— Keception at 
Princeton— Black Hawk War— Scott amid the Cholera— Is Challenged by Jack- 
eon — Becomes interested in the cause of Temperance — Takes Command in South 
Carolina, to Crush the Disunionists— Settles the difficulties on the Northern 
Frontier — Pursues the Cherokees. 

The army went into winter quarters, and Scott 
was sent to Albany to beat np recruits. In the 
spring, tliougli only twenty-eiglit years old, he was 
promoted to the rank of brigadier-general, and 
ordered to Buffalo, under General Brown, who soon 
after left him there to superintend the camp of in- 
struction. Like the revolutionary war, the tide of re- 
verses was not fairly to turn until discipline was in- 
troduced into the army. The troops imder him, at 
this time were his own, Eipley's brigade of the 
regular army, and Porter's of the militia, together 
with Ilindman's battalion of artillery. For more 
than three months, Scott subjected these immortal 



CROSSES THE NIAGAKA. 37 

brigades to tlie severest discipline. Tlie system of 
tactics in nsc liad been banded down from tbe Revolu- 
tion, and was not fit for tbe improved mode of warfare. 
Scott bere for tbe first time introduced tbe Frencb 
system. He first drilled tbe officers, and tbey in 
turn tbe men. So severe and constant was tbis drill 
tbat in tbe sliort space of tbree montbs tbese regular 
brigades became intelligent, steady and invincible 
as old veterans. 

General Brown baving returned from Sackett's 
Harbor in tbe latter part of June, be immediately 
began to prepare for an invasion of tbe Canadas. 
Tbe 3d of July tbe army crossed tbe JSTiagara river 
and took Fort Erie witbout a struggle. Tbe main 
Britisb army, under General Riall, lay at Cbippewa, 
towards wbicb Scott pressed witb bis brigade, cbas- 
ing tbe Marquis of Tweesdale for sixteen miles, wbo 
said be could not account for tbe ardor of tbe pur- 
suit until be remembered it was tbe 4:tb of July, 
our great anniversary. At dark tbe Marquis crossed 
tbe Cbippewa, bebind wbicb lay tbe Britisb army. 
Tbis river enters tbe Niagara nearly at rigbt angles. 
Two miles fartber up. Street's Creek joins tbe Nia- 
gara also, and bebind it Gen. Brown drew uj) tbe 
American forces. Tliis two miles of interval be- 
tween tbe streams was an open plain, skirted on 
one side by tbe Niagara ri^'er and on tbe otber by 
a forest. 



38 WINFIELD SCOTT. 

Sucli was tlie state of affairs on the moraing of the 
5tli, -when Gen. Brown determined to advance and 
attack the British in their position. The latter had 
determined on a similar movement against the 
Americans, and nnbeknown to each other, the one 
prepared to cross the bridge of Chippewa, and the 
other that of Street's Creek. 

The battle commenced in the woods on the left, 
and an irregular fight was kept up for a long time 
between Porter^s brigade and the Canadian militia 
stationed there. The latter were at length driven 
back to the Chippewa, when General Riall advanced 
to their 8npj)ort. Before this formidable arraj, the 
American militia, notwithstanding the noble efforts 
of General Porter to steady their com^age, broke 
and lied. General Brown immediately hastened to 
the scene, merely saying to Scott as he passed on, 
"The enemy is advancing, yon will have a fight." 
The latter ignorant of the forward movement of 
lliall, had just put his brigade in marching order to 
cross the creek for a drill on the open plain be- 
yond. But as the head of the column reached the 
bank, he saw the British army drawn up in beau- 
tiful array in the open field, while a battery of 
nine pieces stood in point blank range of the 
bridge over which he was to cross. Swiftly yet 
beautifully the corps of Scott swept over the bridge 
and deployed under the steady fire of the battery. 



BATTLE OF CIIIVrEWA. 89 

The first and second battalions under Majors Lea- 
venwortli and McNeil, took position in front of the 
left and centre of the enemy, while the third, under 
Jessup, obliqued to the left to attack their right, 
stationed in the woods, and which threatened to 
outflank the American line. It was a bright, hot 
July afternoon, the dusty plain presented no obsta- 
cle behind which either party could find shelter, and 
the march of the steady battalions over its surface 
led on by bands of music, presented one of those 
stirring scenes which makes man forget the carnage 
that is to follow. Tlie heavy monotonous thunder 
of Niagara rolled on over the discharges of artillery, 
wdiile its clouds of spray rising from the strife of 
waters, and glittering in the sunbeams, contrasted 
strangely with the sulphurous clouds that heaved 
heavenward from the conflict of men beneath. 

Both armies halting, firing, and advancing in turn, 
continued to approach until they stood within eighty 
yards of each other. Scott who had been manceu- 
vering to get the two battalions of Leavenworth and 
M'Neil in an oblicpie position to the British line — • 
the great object in an open attack' — at length suc- 
ceeded, the two farther extremities being nearest the 
enemy. Tlius the American army stood like an 
obtuse triangle of which the British line fonned the 
base. While in this position Scott wishing to pass 
from one extremity to the other and being in too 



4:0 WINFIELD SCOIT. 

great a liuny to go back of liis lines around the tri- 
angle, cut directly across it, taking the cross fire of 
both armies, as he spurred in a fierce gallop through 
the smoke. A loud cheer rolled along the Ameri- 
can lines as thej saw this daring act of their com- 
mander. Riding up to Towson's batter j, he cried 
out, " a little more to the left, captain, the enemy is 
there." This gallant officer was standing amid his 
guns, and enveloped in smoke had not observed that 
the British had advanced so far that his fire fell be- 
hind them. Instantly discovering his mistake, he 
changed the direction of his two remaining pieces 
and poured a raking, destructive fire through the 
enemy's ranks, blowing up an ammunition wagon, 
which spread destruction on every side. At this 
critical moment, Scott rode up to M'Neil's battalion, 
his face blazing with excitement, and shouted, " Tlie 
enemy say that we are good at long shot but cannot 
stand the cold iron. I call upon the Eleventh in- 
stantly to give the lie to that slander, Charge.''^ 
Just as the order " charge," escaped his lips, came 
that destructive fire from Towson's battery. Tlie 
thunder of those guns at that critical moment, was, 
to Scott's young and excited heart like the shout of 
victory, and rising in his stirrups and swinging his 
sword aloft, he cried, " Chakge, chaege the kascals." 
"With a high and ringing cheer, that gallant batta- 



TIIE VICTOET. 41 

lion moved witli leveled bayonets on tlie foe. Tak- 
ing tlie close and deadly volleys without slirinking, 
its torn and shattered front never for a moment los- 
ing its firm formation, it struck the British line ob- 
liquely, crumbling it to pieces, as it swept on with 
resistless power. 

Leavenworth did the same on the right with the 
same success, while Jessup in the woods, ignorant 
how the battle was going in the plain, but finding 
himself outflanked, ordered his troops " to support 
arms and advance." They cheerfully obeyed and 
in the face of a most deadly fire charged home on 
the enemy, and obtaining a better position poured 
in his volleys with tremendous efiect. From the 
moment these charges commenced, till the enemy 
fled, the field presented a frightful 6j)ectacle. 
The two armies were in such close proximity, and 
the volleys were so incessant and destructive, and 
the uproar so terrific that orders could no longer be 
heard. But through his two aids Lieutenants AVorth 
and "Watts, who gallo^jed to and fro and by their 
presence and gestures transmitted his orders in the 
midst of the hottest fire, Scott caused every move- 
ment to be executed with precision, and not an error 
was committed from first to last. 

The enemy driven over the Chippewa, tore up 
the bridge and retired to his encampment. 



42 WINFirXD SCOTT. 

The sun went down in blood and the loud requiem 
of Niagara which had been drowned in the roar of 
battle, sounded on as before over the gallant dead, 
while the moans of the wounded ; loaded the air of 
the calm summer evening. 

Nearly eight hundred killed and wounded, had 
been stretched on the earth in that short battle, out of 
some four thousand, or one-fifth of all engaged.* A 
bloodier battle was scarce ever fought. The British 
havino; been tausrht to believe that the American 
troops would give way in an open fight, and that 
the resort to the bayonet was always the signal of 
victory to them, could not be made to yield, until they 
were literally crushed under the headlong charge of 
the Americans. 

Gen. Brown, when he found that Scott had the 
whole British army on his hands, hurried back to 
bring up Bijiley's brigade ; but Scott's evolutions and 
advance had been so rapid, and his blow so sudden 
and deadly, that the field was swept before he could 
arrive. 

M'Neil's battalion had not a recruit in it, and Scott 
knew when he called on them to give the lie to the 
slander, that American troops could not stand the 

* The British were 2100 strong. American troops actually engaged, 
1900. 

Biitish killed 13S. Wounded and missing 365- Americans killed 
G8. Wounded and missing 267. 



FINAL CHAKGE. 43 

cold steel, that tliey would do it though every man 
perished iu his footsteps. 

Maj. Leavenworth's battalion, however, embraced 
a few volunteers, and among them a company of 
backwoodsmen, who joined the army at Buflalo a few 
days before it was to cross the Niagara. 

An incident illustrating their character, was told 
the writer's father by Maj. Gen. Leavenworth himself. 
Although a battle was expected in a few days, the 
Major resolved in the meantime to drill these men. 
Ilaviug ordered them out for that purpose, he en- 
deavored to apply the manual ; but to his surprise, 
found that they were ignorant of the most common 
terms familiar even to untrained militia. While 
thus puzzled with their awkardness, Scott rode on the 
field, and in a sharp voice asked Maj. Leavenworth 
if he could not manage those soldiers better. The 
Major lifting his chapeau to the General, replied, that 
he wished the General would try them himself. The 
latter rode forward and issued his commands — but the 
backwoodsmen instead of obeying him, were ignorant 
even of the military terms he used. After a few mo- 
ment's trial, he saw it was a hopeless task and touch- 
ing his chapeau in return to Leavenworth, said, 
" Major, I leave you your men," and rode off the field. 
The latter finding that all attempts at drill during 
the short interval that must elapse before a battle 
occurred, would be useless ; ordered them to their 



44: WINFIELD SCOTT. 

quarters. On the clay of the battle he placed them at 
one extremity of the line where he thought they 
would interfere the least with the manoeuvres of the 
rest of the battalion. He said that during the 
engagement, this company occurred to him, and he 
rode the whole length of his line to see what they 
were about. They were where he had placed them, 
captain and all, obeying no orders, except the orders 
to advance. Their ranks were open and out of all 
line ; but the soldiers were cool and collected as 
veterans. They had thrown away their hats and 
coats, and besmeared with powder and smoke were 
loading and firing, each on his own hook/ They paid 
no attention to the order to fire, having no idea of 
" shooting " till they had good aim. The thought of 
running had evidently never crossed their minds. 
Fearless of danger and accustomed to pick off 
squirrels from the tops of the loftiest trees with their 
rifle-balls, they were quietly doing what they were 
put there to perform, viz., kill men, and Maj. Leav- 
enworth said there was the most deadly work in the 
whole line. Men fell like grass before the scythe. 
Not a shot was thrown away — ten men were equal to 
a hundred firing in the ordinary way. 

The American army rested but two days after the 
battle, and then advanced over the Chippewa, 
Scott's brigade leading. Tlie British retreated to 
Burlington Heights, near the head of Lake Ontario. 



BACKWOODSMEN. 45 

Thitlier Brown resolved to follow tliem. But on the 
25tli, while the army was resting, preparatory to the 
next day's battle, M'ord was brought that a thousand 
troops had crossed the river to Lewiston, for the pur- 
pose, evidently, of seizing our magazines at Fort 
Schlosser, and the supplies, on the way to the 
American camp, from Buffalo. In order to force 
them to return, Brown resolved immediately to 
threaten the forts at the mouth of the Niagara 
river, and in twenty minutes, Scott, with a detach- 
ment of twelve hundred men, was on the march. 
lie had proceeded but two miles, when he came in 
sight of some British officers, evidently reconnoiter- 
ing. The force to which they belonged lay behind 
a strip of wood, which prevented him from seeing 
tliem. Supposing them, liowever, to be the frag- 
ments of the army he had so terribly shattered at 
Chippewa, he ordered the march to be resumed. 
But as he cleared the road he saw before him an 
army of two thousand men drawn uj) in order of 
battle. lie paused a moment at this unexpected sight, 
and his eye had an anxious look as it ran along his 
little band. To retreat would endanger the reserve 
marching to his relief, and destroy the confidence of 
the troops. Besides, Scott never had, and never has 
since, learned practically, what the word " retreat" 
meant. He determined, therefore, hazardous as it 
was, to maintain the unequal contest till the other 



46 "wmriELD scott. 

portion of the army aiTived. Despatcliing officers 
to General Brown with directions to ride as for life, 
lie gave the orders to advance. The sim, at this 
time, was but half an honr high, and unobscured by 
a cloud, was going to his lordly repose behind the 
forest that stood bathed in his departing splendor, 
Near by, in full view, rolled the cataract, sending up 
its incense towards heaven, and filling that summer 
evening with its voice of thunder. The spray as it 
floated inland, hovered over the American army, 
and as the departing sunbeams struck it, a rainbow 
was formed, which encircled the head of Scott's 
column like a halo — a symbol of the wreath of 
glory that should encircle it forever. 

The British, two thousand strong, were posted 
just below the Falls, on a ridge at the head of 
Lundy's Lane. Their loft was in the highway, and 
separated from the main body by an interval of two 
hundred yards, covered with brushwood, etc. Gene- 
ral Drummond had landed a short time before with 
reinforcements, wliich were rapidly marching up to 
the iiid of Iliall. Scott, however, would not turn his 
back on the enemy, and gallantly led in person his 
little army into the fire. His bearing and words in- 
spired confidence, and officers and men forgot the 
odds that were against them. Major Jessup was 
ordered to fling himself in the interval, between the 
British centre and left, and turn the latter. In the 



BATTLE OF NIAGAEA. 47 

meantime, tlie enemy discovering that he outflanked 
the Americans on the left, advanced a battalion to 
take them in rear. The brave McNeil stopped, 
with one terrible blow, its progress, though his own 
battalion was dreadfully shattered by it. Jcssup 
had succeeded in his movement, and having taken 
the enemy in rear, charged back through his line, 
captured the commanding-general Eiall, with his 
whole staff. "When this was told to Scott, he an- 
nounced it to his army, and three loud cheers rang 
over the field. A destructive discharge from the 
English battery of seven pieces, followed. It was 
dark, and though there was a moon, its feeble light 
struggled in vain to pierce the smoke that curtained 
in the combatants. The flashes from the bat- 
tery that crowned the heights, and from the in- 
fantry below, alone revealed where they were strug- 
gling. Scott's regiments were soon all reduced to 
skeletons — a fourth of the whole brigade had fallen 
in the unerpial conflict. Tlie English battery of 
twenty-four-pounders and howitzers, sent destruction 
through his ranks. lie, however, refused to yield a 
foot of ground, and heading almost every charge in 
j)erson, moved with such gay spirits and reckless 
courage through the deadliest fire, that the troops 
caught the infection. But the Britisli batteries, 
now augmented to nine guns, made frightful 
havoc in his uncovered brigade. Towson's few 



48 "WINTIELD SCOTT. 

pieces being necessarily placed so miich. lower, 
could produce but little eflect, wliile the enemy's 
twenty-four-pomiders, loaded with grape, swept tlie 
entire field. The eleventh and twenty-second regi- 
ments, deprived of their commanders, and destitute 
of ammunition, were withdrawn, and Leavenworth, 
with the gallant ninth, was compelled to withstand 
the whole shock of battle. This single regiment 
appeared amid the darkness to be enveloped in fire 
— with such energy and superior numbers, did the 
British press upon it. Its destruction seemed inevi- 
table, and in a short time one half of its number 
lay stretched on the field. Leavenworth sent to 
Scott, informing him of his desperate condition. 
The latter soon came up on a full gallop, when 
Leavenworth pointing to the bleeding fragment of 
his regiment, said, " Your rule for retreating is ful- 
filled," referring to Scott's maxim that a regiment 
might retreat when every third man was killed. 
Scott, however, answered buoyantly, cheered up the 
men and officers by j^romising victory — ^pointed to 
the flag that still waved in the dim moonlight, and 
though bleeding from a wound, spurred where the 
balls fell thickest, and animated them by his daring 
courage and chivalric bearing to still greater efforts. 
Still he could not but see that his case was desperate, 
and unless aid arrived soon, he must retreat. Only 



BATTLE OF NIAGARA. 49 

five or six hundred of tlio twelve hundred lie at sun- 
down had led into battle, remained to him. 

General Brown, however, was hurrying to the 
rescue. The incessant cannonading convinced him 
that Scott bad a heavy force on his hands ; and with- 
out waiting tbe arrival of a messenger, he ordered 
Eipley to move forward with the second brigade. 
Meeting Scott's despatch on the way, he learned how 
desperate the battle was, and immediately ordered 
Porter with the volunteers to hurry on after Ei2)ley, 
while he, in advance of all, hastened to the field of 
action. The constant and heavy explosions of artil- 
lery, rising over the roar of the cataract, announced 
to the excited soldiers the danger of their comrades ; 
and no sooner were they wheeled into marching order 
than they started on a trot along the road. Lieutenant 
Kiddle, who was ofl:' on a scouring expedition in the 
country, paused as he heard the thunder of cannon, 
and waiting for no despatch, gave orders to march, 
and his men moving at the cliarge de pas^ soon came 
with shouts on the field. At length the head of 
Ripley's column emerged through the gloom, sending 
joy through those gallant regiments, and aloud huzza 
rolled along their line. Erown, seeing that Scott's 
brigade was exhausted, ordered Ripley to form in ad- 
vance of it. In the mean time, Drummond had 
arrived on the field with reinforcements, swelling the 
English army to four thousand men. At this moment 



50 ■WrNTFIELD SCOTT. 

there was a lull in the battle, and both armies pre- 
pared for a decisive blow. It was evident the deadly 
battery on the heights must be carried, or the field 
be lost, and Brown, turning to Colonel Miller, asked 
him if he could take it. " I will tkt, sir," was the 
brief reply of the fearless soldier, as he coolly scanned 
the frowning heights. Placing himself at the head 
of the 21st regiment, he prepared to ascend the hill. 
Major M'Farland with the 23d was to support him. 
Not having arrived on the field till after dark, he was 
ignorant of the formation of the ground or the best 
point from which to commence the ascent. Scott, 
who had fought over almost every foot of it since sun- 
set, ofiered to pilot him. Passing by an old church 
and grave-yard, that showed dimly in the moonlight, 
he took the column to the proper place, and then re- 
turned to his post. In close order and dead silence 
the two regiments then moved straight for the battery. 
It was only by their heavy muflled tread that General 
Drummond detected their approach. In an instant 
that battery of nine guns ojDened with terrific efi'ect. 
The Twenty-third staggered under the discharge, but 
soon rallied and pressed forward ; smitten again, it 
reeled backward in the gloom ; but the Twenty-first 
never faltered. " Close up, steady, men," rung from 
the lips of their leader, and taking the loads of grape- 
shot unshrinkingly into their bosoms, they marched 
Bternly on, their bayonets gleaming red in the fire 



BATTLE OF NIAGARA. 51 

tliat rolled in streams down the slope. Every explo- 
sion revealed the whole hill and that dark column 
winding through flame and smoke up its sides. At 
length it came within range of musketry, when the 
carnage became awful ; but still on through the sheets 
of flame, over their dead comrades, this invincible 
regiment held its stubborn course towards the very 
vortex of the battle. The English gazed with amaze- 
ment on its steady advance. No hesitation marked 
its movement ; closing up its ranks after every dis- 
charge, it kept on its terrible way, till at last it stood 
face to face with the murderous battery, and within a 
few steps of the gunners. A sudden flash, a deafen- 
ing explosion, and then " Close iip^ steady^ charge^'' 
rung out from the sulphurous cloud that rolled over 
the shattered regiment, and the next instant it swept 
with a th)-illing shout over guns, gunners, and all. 
The struggle became at once close and fierce, — 
bayonet crossed bayonet, — weapon clashed against 
weapon, — but nothing could resist that determined 
onset. The British were driven down the hill, and 
the remnants of that gallant regiment, together with 
M'Farland's, which had again rallied, formed between 
the guns and the foe. Ripley then moved his brigade 
to the top of the hill, in order to keep what had been 
60 heroically won. Stung with rage and mortification 
at this unexpected defeat, Drummond resolved to 
retake that height and his guns, cost what it might ; 



52 WrNTIELD SCOTT. 

and soon the tread of his advancing columns was 
heard ascending the slope. Shrouded in darkness, 
they canie on at the charge step, and in dead silence, 
until within twenty yards of the American line, when 
they halted and delivered their fire. " Charge" then 
ran along the line, but the order had scarcely pealed 
on the night air before they were shattered and torn 
into fragments by the sudden and destructive volley 
of the Americans. Eallying, however, they returned 
to the attack, and for twenty minutes the conflict 
around those guns was indescribably awful and mur- 
derous. No sounds of music drowned the death-cry ; 
the struggle was too close and fatal. There were only 
the fierce tramp and the clash of steel, — the stifled 
cry and wavering to and fro of men in a death-grapple. 
At length the British broke, and disappeared in the 
darkness. General Ttipley again formed his line, 
while Scott, who had succeeded in getting a single 
battalion out of the fragments of his whole brigade, 
was ordered to the top of the hill. 

In about half an hour the sound of the returning 
enemy was again heard. Smote by the same fierce 
fire, Drummond with a desperate effort threw his 
entire strength on the centre of the American line. 
But there stood the gallant Twenty-First, whose re- 
sistless charge had first swept the hill ; and where 
they had conquered they could not yield. Scott in 
the mean time led his column so as to take the 



BATTLE OF NIAGARA. 53 

enemy in flank and rear, and but for a sudden volley 
from a concealed body of the enemy, cutting liis com- 
mand in two, would have finished the battle with a 
blow. As it was he charged again and again, with 
resistless energy, and the disordered ranks of the foe 
for the third time rolled back and were lost in the 
gloom. Here his last horse fell under him, and he 
moved on foot amid his battalion. Jessup was also 
severely woimded, yet there he stood amid the 
darkness and carnage, cheering on his men. Tlie 
soldiers vied with the ofiicers in heroic daring and 
patient suffering. Many would call out for muskets 
as they had none, or for cartridges as theirs were all 
gone. On every side from pallid lips and prostrate 
bleeding forms came the reply, " take mine, and 
mine, my gun is in good order, and my cartridge 
box is full." There w^as scarcely an officer at this time 
unwounded ; yet, one and all refused to yield the 
command while they could keep their feet. 

Jessnp's flag was riddled with balls, and as a 
sergeant waved it amid a storm of bullets, the stafl" 
was severed in three places in his hand. Turniu"- 
to his commander he exclaimed as he took up the 
fragments, " Look, colonel, how they have cut us." 
Tlie next moment a ball passed through his body. — • 
But he still kept h's feet, and still waved his muti- 
lated standard, until faint with loss of blood he sunk 
on the field. 



64 WINFLELD SCOTT. 

After "being driven tlie tliird time down tlie hill, 
tlie enemy for a while ceased their efforts, and sud- 
den silence fell on the two armies, broken only by 
the groans of the wounded and dying. The scene, 
and the hour, combined to render that hill-top a 
strange and fearful object in the darkness. On one 
side lay a wilderness, on the other rolled the cataract, 
whose solemn anthem could again be heard pealing 
on through the gloom. Leaning on their heated 
guns, that gallant band stood bleeding amid the 
wreck it had made. It was midnight — the stars 
looked quietly down from their homes in the sky — 
the summer wind swept softly by, and nature was 
breathing long and peacefully. But all over that 
hill lay the brave dead, and adown its sides in every 
direction the blood of men was rippling. Still not 
a heart beat faint. Nothing but skeletons of regi- 
ments remained, yet calm and stern were the words 
BjDoken there in the darkness. " Close ujp the raiiks^'^ 
were the heroic orders that still fell on the shattered 
battalions, and they closed with the same firm pre- 
sence and dauntless hearts as before. 

It was thought that the British would make no 
further attempts to recover their guns, but reinforce- 
ments having arrived from Fort George, they, after 
an hour's repose and refreshment, prepared for a 
final assault. Our troops had all this time stood to 
their arms, and fa/.nt with hunger, thirst, and fatigue, 



BATTLE OF NIAGARA. 55 

Beemed unequal to a tliird conflict against a fresh 
force. But as they heard the enemy advancing-, 
they forget their weariness and met the onset firmly 
as before. But this time the ranks of the enemy 
did not yield under the fire that smote them, they 
pressed steadily forward, and delivering their volleys 
as they advanced, at length stood on the summit of 
the hill, and breast to breast with the American line. 
The conflict now became fearful and more like the 
murderous hand-to-hand fights of old than a modern 
battle. Battalions on both sides were forced back 
till the ranks became mingled. Bayonet crossed 
bayonet and men lay transfixed side by side. Ilind- 
man whose artillery had done great service from the 
first, found the enemy amid his guns, across which 
he was compelled to fight them. 

Tlie firing gave way to the clash of steel, the blaz- 
ing hill-top subsided into gloom, out of which the 
sound of this nocturnal combat arose in strange and 
wild confusion. 

Scott charging like fire at the head of his exhausted 
battalion, received another severe wound which pros- 
trated him — but his last words to Leavenworth, as he 
was borne to the rear, were " charge again.'''' " Charge 
again, Leavenworth," were his last orders as he was 
carried apparently dying from that fierce foughten 
field. General Brown supported on his horse, was 
slowly led away. Jessup was bleeding from several 



56 WINPIELD SCOTT. 

wounds, every regim ental officer in Scott's brigade was 
killed or wounded. Only one out of every four stood 
%if unlmrt. The annals of war rarely reveal sucli a 
slaughter in a single brigade, but it is rarer still a 
l>rigade has sucli a leader. The ghosts of regiments 
alone remained, yet before these the veterans of 
England were at last compelled to flee, and betake 
themselves to the darkness for safety. Sullen, mor- 
tified, and badly wounded, Drummond was carried 
from the field, and all farther attempts to take the 
hill were abandoned. The Americans, however, 
kept watch and ward, around the cannon that had 
cost them so great a sacrifice, till near day-break, 
when orders were received to retire to camp. ITo 
water could be obtained on the heights, and the 
troops wanted repose. Through the want of drag- 
ropes and horses, the cannon were left behind. This 
was a sad drawback to the victory, and Major Rip- 
ley should have detailed some men to have taken 
them at least down the hill. Trophies won with the 
blood of so many brave men were worth more effort 
than he put forth to secure them. 

A bloodier battle, in proportion to the numbers 
engaged, was never fought than this. jSTearly eight 
hundred Americans, and as many English, had fal- 
len on and around that single hill. It was loaded 
with the slain. Seventy-six officers were either 
killed or womided out of our army of some tliree 



THE VICTORY. 57 

thousand men^ and not a general on either side re- 
mained unwounded. 

Among the slain was young Captain Hull, son of 
the general -who had so shamefully capitulated at 
Detroit. This young officer, who had fought one 
duel in defence of his father's honor, and struggled 
in vain to shake off the sense of disgrace that clung 
to him, told a friend at the opening of the battle, 
that he had resolved to fling away a life which had 
l)eeome insupportable. Where the battle was hot- 
test, there his sword was seen waving his company 
on. For a long time he seemed to bear a charmed 
life, and the more he wooed death, the more she 
avoided him. But when the conflict was done, he 
was found stark and stiff where the dead lay 
thickest. 

It would be impossible to relate all the deeds of 
daring and gallantry which distinguished this bloody 
engagement. Almost every man was a hero, and 
from that hour England felt a respect for our arms 
she never before entertained. The navy had estab- 
lished its reputation forever, and now the army chal- 
lenged the respect of the world. The timorous and 
the ignorant had been swept away with the old 
martinets, and the true genius of the country was 
shining forth in her young men, who, while they 
did not despise the past, took lessons of the present. 
Scott at this time, but twenty-eight years of age, 
3* 



58 WINFIELD SCOTT. 

hud sliown to the country wliat a single youth, fired 
with 2)atriotism, confident in his resources, and dar- 
ing in spirit, could accomplish. His brigade, it is 
true, had been almost annihilated, and nothing ap- 
parently been gained, but those err much who gra- 
duate the results of a battle by the number taken 
prisoners or the territory acquired. Moral power is 
always more valuable than physical, and though we 
are forever demanding something tangible to show 
as the reward of such a great eifort and sacrifice, 
yet to gain a national position is more important 
than to take an army. Tlius while many think 
that the battle of Niagara though gallantly fought, 
was a barren one, and furnished no compensation 
f)r the terrible slaughter that characterised it, yet 
there has been none since that of Bunker Hill, 
more important to this country, and which, directly 
and indirectly, has more affected its interests. It 
probably saved more battles than if, by stratagem 
or superior force. General Brown had succeeded in 
capturing Drummond's entire army. 

Brown and Scott both being disabled, the com- 
mand devolved on Major Ripley, who retreated to 
Fort Erie, where General Gaines soon after arrived, 
and relieved him. Scott's last wound was a severe 
one. A musket ball had shattered his shoulder 
dreadfully, and a long time it was extremely doubt- 
ful whether he ever recovered. lie suffered excrii- 



WOUNDED. 59 

elating pain from it, and it was September before 
he ventured to travel, and then shDwly and with great 
care. His progress was a constant ovation. The 
young and wounded chieftain was hailed on his pas- 
sage with salvos of artillery, and shouts of freemen. 
He arrived at Princeton on commencement day of 
Nassau Hall. The professors immediately sent a 
delegation requesting his attendance at the church. 
Leaning on the arm of his gallant aid-de-camp, 
AVorth — ^his arm in a sling, and his countenance 
haggard and worn from his long suffering and con- 
finement, the tall young warrior slowly moved up 
the aisle, and with great difficulty ascended the steps 
to the stage. At lirst sight of the invalid, looking 
so unlike the dashing, fearless commander, a mur- 
mur of symj)athy ran through the house, the next 
moment there went up a shout that shook the build- 
ing to its foundations. A flush passed over the pal- 
lid features — -the eye kindled, and the enthusiastic 
young soldier received in that moment the reward 
w^hich springs from the consciousness of having ob- 
tained a place in the heart of his country. 

He was complimented with the honorary degree 
of Master of Arts. Passing on to Baltimore, then 
threatened with an attack by the British, he finally 
80 far recovered as to take command in the middle 
of October of the tenth military district, and estab- 
lished his headrpiartcrs at Washington City. Here, 



60 WmFIELD SCOTT. 

and at Baltimore, lie passed tlie winter. The treaty 
of peace having been received in February, he was 
offered the pLace of Secretary of "War, but declined 
on the ground of his youth. He then was asked to 
serve as Secretary, till Mr. Crawford, our Minister at 
Paris, could return, who was designated to fill the 
place. Tliis he also declined out of respect to 
Generals Brown and Jackson, his seniors, as the 
Secretary, under the President, has the control of 
the anny. 

Having assisted in reducing the army to the 
peace establishment, he was sent to Europe by the 
Government, for the double purpose of restoring his 
health, and the perfecting himself in military 
science. lie was also entrusted with certain diplo- 
matic power, and was instructed to ascertain tlie 
views entertained by the European Courts of the 
revolutionary movements in the Spanish possessions 
in this country, and also the designs of England on 
Cuba. He received letters of introduction from 
Kosciusko to Marshals McDonald Oudinot and Du- 
pont, who had been the props of Kapoleon tlirough 
his long and wondrous career. The battle of Water- 
loo had just been fought, and the greatest military 
captain of modern times was a homeless fugitive. 
Fresh from the l)attle-fields of his own country, 
young Scott trod those equally fresh and greater 
ones of Europe with strange feelings. Just at the 



VISITS EUKOPE. 61 

point wliere he would devour all military informa- 
tion witli the greatest avidity, lie was in the midst 
of scenes, and men, and distingnished officers, who 
were best qnalified to impart it. Europe was tilled 
with nothing but Bonaparte and his campaigns, 
and it was not strange that under these circum- 
stances, and this tuition, he shoidd learn fast. He 
trod the great battle-fields of the Continent with a 
keen and inquiring spirit, and laid up treasures of 
knowledge, which afterwards served him well, and 
raised him and the nation from defeat and disgrace. 
lie also attended public lectures on the subject of 
military art. He retiu-ned in 1816, and was given 
the command of the sea-board. In March of the 
next year, he married Maria Mayo, daughter of 
John Mayo, of Richmond, Virginia, a lady of rare 
endowments and accomplishments. lie took up his. 
residence at Elizabethtown, which continued to be 
his home for the next twenty years. Honors were 
showered on him, swords presented him by the 
States of Virginia and New York, and medals 
struck to show the estimation placed on his services 
by the republic. 

At this time, a misunderstanding occurred be- 
tween him and General Jackson, growing out of an 
order of the latter to his division, forbidding the 
execution of commands of the department unless 
transmitted throu<rh him. This (k'ueral Scott in 



G2 WINFIELD SCOTT. 

conversation in New York pronounced wrong and 
nmtinons. The conversation was reported to Jack- 
son, and a cliallenge was tlie consecpience. Scott 
defended liis opinions, but refused to accept tlic 
challenge. The hero of Chippewa and Niagara did 
not think it necessary to fight about so small a mat- 
ter, and thus nobly, by his personal example, ex- 
pressed his disapprobation of this barbarous and 
brutal mode of settling difterences of opinion. 

Several years after, in 1823, Scott being in "Wash- 
ington, wrote Jackson a frank and manly letter pre- 
paratory to reconciliation. This was responded to 
in a similar spirit, and this foolish quarrel between 
two heroes amicably settled. 

At this time Scott enlisted warmly in the cause 
of tem2:)erance, and wrote several essays on the 
subject. 

In 1832, he was ordered West, to put an end to the 
3>lack Ilawk war. lie embarked with nine hundred 
and fifty men, at Bufi'alo for Chicago, but before lie 
liad proceeded far, the Asiatic cholera broke out among 
the troops. The footsteps of this terrible destroyer had 
just been heard on our shores, and consternation and 
dread seized tlie entire population. Men and women 
fled from his presence, and pale horror sat on every 
countenance. Scott witli liis staif, and two hundred 
and twenty men were on one boat, and though he 
landed at Cliicago only two days after the pestilence 



SOOIT AND TIIE CHOLERA. 63 

appeared on board, — yet in that short interval, so 
swift and fearful were its ravages, that iiftj-two had 
died, and eighty were sick. The well were immedi- 
ately sent forward, but this invisible foe marched 
in their midst. Men sunk and died in groups under 
the trees, and their bodies were left unburied. The 
inhabitants fled from the presence of the sick, who 
were strewn along the road. In a short time, out of 
the nine hundred and fifty, only four hundred remained 
alive. Scott, though ill himself, remained at Chicago 
for some time to attend to the wretched sufterers that 
each of the four steamboats had disgorged in that port. 
Apparently forgetful of his own danger, he moved 
amid this terrible scourge, calm and fearless as he 
had done over the field of battle. He visited every 
sick room, bent over every dying soldier, and inhal- 
ing at every step the poisonous atmosphere, nobly 
strove to allay the panic of officers and the terror of the 
men. This fatherly care of his soldiers has always 
endeared him to the army, fur he shares with thein 
every privation. 

As soon as he could get away he followed the track 
of his decimated army and hastened to join Gen. 
Atkinson at Prairie du Cliien. lie arrived the duy 
after the battle of Bad Axe, which prostrated the 
power of Black Hawk, and ended the war. The 
regulars of the army were then established at Rock 
Island, where in the middle of August, the cholera 



64 WINFIELD SCOTT. 

broke out, sending terror tlirougli the hearts of 
officers and men. 

Scott immediately devoted himself to the sick, and 
set an example of calm serenity, which evinced the 
true hero, far more than his desperate charges at 
Lundy's Lane. Says an officer an eye-witness of his 
conduct ; " it is well known that the troops in that 
service, suffered severely from the cholera, a disease 
frightful enough from its rapid and fatal effects ; but 
which came among us the more so from the known inex- 
perience of our medical men, and from the general be- 
lief at that time in its contagiousness. Under such 
circumstances, it was clearly the general's duty to give 
the best general directions he could for proper attend- 
ance to the sick, and fur preventing the epread of the 
disease. When he had done this, his duty was 
performed and he might have left the rest to his 
medical officers. But such was not his course. He 
thought he had other duties to perform, that his 
personal safety must be disregarded to visit the sick, 
to cheer the well, to encourage the attendants, to set 
an example to all — in a word to save the lives of 
otiiers at the risk of his own. All this he did 
faithfully, and when he could have no other motive 
than that of doing good. Here was no glory to be 
acquired ; here were none of the excitements of the 
battle-field ; here was no shame to be avoided or 
disgrace to be feared ; because his general arrangements 



CARE OF THE SICK. 65 

and directions to those whose part it was to battle 
with sickness had satisfied duty. To those who can 
remember the terror which at that time paralyzed 
every heart, this conduct of Scott, while he himself 
vras suffering under the symptoms of disease, will 
stamp him not only the hero of the battle-field, but the 
hero of humanity, and the true heart will encircle his 
brow with a wreath more enduring and sweeter to look 
on than that which victory lias woven for his temples. 

The cholera having at length subsided, Scott 
turned his attention to the Indian difSculties, and at 
length, with the aid of Governor Reynolds, con- 
cluded satisfactory treaties with the Sacs, Foxes, and 
"VYinnebagoes. His conduct throughout the whole 
was marked by great ability, and while he secured 
the rights of his gtjvernment, he won the respect 
and love of the savage chiefs with whom he had 
negotiated. 

Soon after his return he was despatched by Gen. 
Jackson with a confidential order to take command 
in South Carolina, to arrest the arm of disunion. 
The quiet and unostentatious manner in which he 
assumed the direction of affairs — the deep solicitude 
he felt for the welfare of the people — his earnest 
anxiety to preserve peace, helped to allay the excite- 
ment, while at the same time his secret dispositions 
were made with so much skill and desjiatch, that 
before the disunionists were aware of his puri)0se, 



66 WINFIELD SCOTT. 

the liarLor and defences of Cliarleston were com- 
pletely in his grasp and their power prostrated. 

In January, 1836, Scott was ordered into Florida, 
to brino- to a close the Seminole war which Osceola 
was waging so fiercely against the inhabitants. This 
short campaign was a failure, and Scott was ordered 
home in an extraordinary manner. On his return 
to Washington, he demanded a court-martial, which 
declared that his Seminole campaign was well de- 
vised and well carried out, and that his plans for 
^prosecuting the Creek war were also w^ise, and in a 
fair way of leading to successful results when he was 
recalled. The next year he was ordered to the 
Niagara frontier to allay the excitement occasioned 
by Yan llanselaer's invasion of Canada, and the 
assistance rendered by American citizens to the 
patriots who had revolted from the British govern- 
ment. Enraged to find an American camp on their 
territory, the British resolved in revenge to seize the 
Caroline, a little steamer used as a ferry boat be- 
tween the American shore and Navy Island, on 
which Yan llanselaer's army lay. A secret expedi- 
tion was fitted out; the Caroline was attacked 
while moored to the American shore, one man on 
board of her killed, and several wounded, and she 
then cut adrift, set on fire, and sent over the Falls. 
The news soon spread, and with it a rumor that 
several American citizens had been sent over the 



A PEACE-MAKER. 67 

falls ill lier. Great excitement lollowed ; men flew 
to arms ; threats of retaliation were lieard on every 
Bide, and a collision between the two govern- 
ments seemed inevitable. This was the state of 
things when Scott arrived on the scene of his early 
exploits, not to lead his columns to battle, but to act 
as a peacemaker. The winter of 1S38-9 was one of 
constant toil to him. From Detroit to Vermont all 
along the line he travelled almost constantly — ^baf- 
fling the efforts of conspirators — intercepting corres- 
2)ondence and allaying excitement. lie frecpientl}'' 
addressed the citizens on their duties, proclaiming 
e's^erywhere that he would preserve the neutrality 
of the United States at all hazards. lie would 
walk alone into the midst of a band of patriots and 
harangue them on the course they were pursuing, 
and exhort them to return to their obedience. His 
name was written in light on every rood of that 
frontier — the fields of his fame lay in sight, and the 
people loved and honored him despite his deter- 
mined hostility to their wishes. In January, the 
Barcelona, a steamer, was cut out of the ice in Buf- 
falo harbor, and taken down the river to be offered 
to the patriots in place of the Caroline. Scott hear- 
ing of it, had those in possession of her arrested, 
while at the same time he hired her for the United 
States service before the patriots could find means 
to guarantee the owners against loss. The Brit- 



08 wiNFiELD scorr. 

isli on Grand Island, knowing for wliat pur- 
pose tlic JJareelona bad been taken down the river, 
and being informed that she was on her way back, 
determined to sink her as she passed. Three armed 
seliooners Avcre also lying in wait for her. Scott 
had sent a pacific note to the commander of 
these last, remonstrating against any attack on a 
boat moving in the American waters. On the 
morning of the IGth of January, the smoke of the 
Barcelona was seen in the distance, as the boat 
slowly stennned the rapid current. Scott saw it, 
and saw too that the vessels kept their positiou, 
and that on the opposite shore cannon were placed 
in battery, so as to sink the steamer the moment 
she came within range. lie immediately ordered 
the American batteries in position, the guns loaded, 
and the matches lio-htcd. The shore was lined with 
thousands anxiously awaiting the moment that 
woidd probably decide the question of peace (U- war. 
In full uniform, in sight of all, his tall form erect 
and motionless, Scott stood on the i)ier of Black 
Tioek, with his eye fixed on the slowly approaching 
boat. The echo of the first hostile cannon would 
not have died away, before American balls would 
have been crashing into those schooners. The boat 
kept on her way unmolested, and the threatened rup- 
ture with England in-evented. 

The whole management of this aifair was mas- 



PEACE MADE. 69 

tcrly, and exhibited the statesman, di])loniati.st, and 
patriot, in noble and striking harmony. A single 
mistake or foolish bravado might have precipitated 
the country in all the horrors of war. This triumph- 
ing as a })eace-maker on the very spot where he 
liad won his renown as a warrior, entitles him to a 
double chaplet. 

In the S2-)ring he was ordered to superintend tlic 
removal of the Cherokees west. Opposition and 
violence were expected, but General Scott by liis 
kindness, generosity, and humanity, won tlie entire 
nation to his views, and removed those fifteen tluni- 
sand exiles from their hunting-grounds — ^tlie graves 
of their fathers, and all tluit makes home dear, with- 
out being c<)mpelle<l to resort to a single act of vio- 
lence. He exhibited a fatherly care for the red and 
depressed fugitives, and showed how beautiful is 
bravery when tempered with humanity. 

While following the line of emigration, he was 
overtaken at Nashville, by an exj)ress from Wash- 
ington, ordering his immediate presence on the 
northern frontier, which was again in a blaze. Hur- 
rying across the country, he arrived at Cleveland and 
Detroit in time to arrest the flames of discord that 
threatened to overleap all barriers, and passing 
down the line to Vermont, restored order and 
tranrpiility. 



CHAPTER m. 

Scott preserves poaco on the Maine boundary — Friendship between him and the 
Governor of New Brunswick — Appointed Commander-in-chief— Treatraent at 
Washington — Talics charge of the Army In Mexico— Martial-law orders — Fire in 
the rear — Landing at Yera Cruz— The seige and capture of the city — March to 
Cerra Gordo — The battle— Entrance of Jalapa— Of Puebla— Eeduction of tha 
army. 

General Scott, called from the arduous duty of re- 
moving tlie Clierokees, to allay tlie excitement on 
our northern frontier, no sooner succeeded in his 
mission than he was appointed to settle the difficul- 
ties on the Maine boundary, Avhich threatened 
momentarily to j)lunge the nation into a war witli 
Eng'land. At this time the whole northern frontier 
of Maine was in a state of the most intense excite- 
ment. Trespassers from both sides had been caught 
in the act of encroaching. Tlie establishment of 
British and American military posts followed. Tlie 
land agent sent by the State of Maine with an armed 
force to drive off trespassers, was seized and thrown 
into prison. Enraged at this act of ^aolence, the 



PACIFICATOE. 71 

legislatm*e passed an act placing eiglit tlioTisaiid 
Yolunteers and eight hundred thousand dollars at 
the disposal of the State. Part of the troops were 
raised, and already on the march for the scene of 
action. A British force was also advancing to repel 
this military demonstration. All correspondence be- 
tween the two governors of Maine and New Bruns- 
wick had ceased, and nothing now seemed able to 
avert open hostilities. John Quincj Adams de- 
clared in Congress that the dispute had reached a 
point where arms must settle the question, and for 
one he was "not disposed to have much further 
negotiation." The state authorities were resolved to 
push mattei-s to extremes. It was not an inactive 
state of great excitement, needing a spark to kindle 
a conflagration, but everything was moving directly 
and rapidly to war. Scott hastening to Augusta, 
passed on the way bodies of volunteers eager for 
battle, who hailed him with shouts as their future 
leader. He found everything in commotion. " War," 
" war," was the cry on every side, and in three days 
more blood would have flowed, and a struggle 
commenced, whose termination no one could fore- 
tell. Surrounded by men filled with indignation, 
and breathing threats of vengeance — •his ears con- 
stantly assailed mth the most exaggerated stories of 
■UTong and outrage committed on the frontiers-men, 
and his passions plied by the threats and bravadoes 



72 WESTFIELD SCOTT. 

of tlie English troops, it is a wonder lie did not fall 
in with the current of popular indignation, and in- 
stead of endeavoring to re-oj^en a correspondence 
with the governor of New Brunswick, put himself at 
the head of the gallant troops assembling from every 
point, and di'ive back the enemy he had long before 
trampled imder foot at Chippewa and Lundy's Lane. 
But the general was more peaceable than the gover- 
nor. A fortunate circumstance aided the former in 
his pacific intentions. Major General Harvey, Go- 
vernor of Kew Brunswick, was lieutenant-colonel in 
the British army during the war of 1812. In 1813, he 
and Scott were both adjutant-generals in their re- 
spective armies, and each being the head of his stafi", 
all communications, flags of truce, etc., passed 
through them, thus establishing an acc[uaintance. 
Their correspondence also, respecting prisoners — in 
providing for their wants, exchange, &c., led to a 
high-minded and chivalric regard for each other. 
Tliey were both tall, commanding figures, and were 
always seen in the front of battle. It recalled 
the deeds and bearing of the knights of old to see 
these two fearless young giants saluting each other 
in friendly recognition, as they closed in mortal 
combat. 

On one occasion Scott thought he had his gallant 
adversary in his power. lie was out reconnoitering, 
and in a skirmish that followed, managed to cut him 



THE MAINE DIFFICrLTIES. "73 

off, BO that escape seemed impossible. Harvey, sit- 
ting quietly on liis liorse, saw at a glance his peril- 
ous position. At the same instant an American 
rifle was levelled at him. Scott springing forward, 
knocked up the muzzle of the piece with his sword, 
exclaiming, " hold, he is our prisoner." But Harvey 
not relishing the humiliation of a capture, wheeled 
his horse suddenly, and forcing him to a desperate 
leap, escaped. On another occasion, his port- 
manteau was captured by the Americans, in which 
was found a splendid coat, and a miniature of his 
young and beautiful wife, in England. This coming 
to Scott's ears, he purchased them with his own 
money, and sent them back to his equally noble ad- 
versary. To pave the way still more to the opening 
of a friendly correspondence, Scott, at this time, had 
in his pocket a private note from Harvey, which he 
had not answered. The reply to this was soon fol- 
lowed by other letters, which the latter at length 
allowed to be considered semi-oflficial. A friendly 
feeling between the two negotiators led to the ex- 
pression of friendly sentiments. Anger was allayed, 
excitement quelled, and soon after Governor Harvey 
took the first conciliatory step, by issuing a proclama- 
tion, which, in turn, led to a recall of the troops of 
Maine from the border. Tranquillity was restored, the 
way opened for negotiation, and all difficulties were 
at length settled by the famous Ashburtou treaty. 
4 



74 WINFIELD SCOTT. 

Thus, a fourtli time, "had Scott been tlie gi-eat paciii- 
cator. To see liis calm, noble determination tlirougli 
all these difficulties to keep the nation from war, one . 
■would think he had lost all relish for his profession, 
all desire to win distinction on the battle-field.* 

Major-General Macomb dying in 1841, the com- 
mand of the entire army of the Kepublic devolved on 
General Scott. He continued to fulfil the duties 
attached to this position in time of peace down to 
184:6, when the administration, without forethought 
or preparation, plunged the nation into a war with 
Mexico. It does not come into the scope of this work 
to discuss the measures that led to hostilities. 

On the 28th of March of this year. General Taylor 
drew up his army of 4000 men on the banks of the 
Kio Grande, and planted his guns within range of 
Metamoras. The brilliant victories of Palo Alto, 
Resaca de la Palma, Monterey, crowned with the 
triumph of Buena Yista, followed in rapid succession. 
Scott, in the. mean time, was ordered by the Presi- 
dent to remain in Washington, his counsels unheeded 
and his services despised. But the dangers that 
thickened daily around the American army, at lengtli 
forced the administration to seek the services of the 
man whom they had neglected, and who alone could 
help them out of tlie erabarassments into which they 
had plunged themselves. Perhaps the growing repu- 

*Vi(le Correspondence, page 19S. 



STARTS FOR MKXTCO. 75 

tation of Taylor had also something to do with the 
sudden wish to have Scott at the head of the army. 

On the 18th of November he was ordered to hold 
himself in readiness. Yera Cruz was to be the first 
point of attack, and form the basis of all future opera- 
tions in the heart of Mexico. 

On the oOth Scott took his departure, in the full 
belief that the President designed to sustain him. 
But he who relied on the word or promise of Presi- 
dent Polk, trusted to a broken reed. Before Scott 
left, the President sent for him, told him of the sleep- 
less nights which the Mexican war had given him, 
expressed his great anxiety to have it brought to a 
close, and said that on his ejenius, enersrv, and darino- 
the future progress of the war must depend. Scott, 
incapable of duplicity himself, could not believe it in 
others. He was moved by the feeling and apparent 
sincerity of the President, and giving all his former 
distrust to the wind, said everywhere to his friends 
" The President has acted nobly." And yet, at the 
same time, this conscientious President was organiz- 
ing a scheme to supersede the Commander-in-Chief, 
(whom he had just sent to the head of the army), and 
place him under the control of a Lieutenant-General, 
without experience, and without military knowledge. 
Nothing but the patriotism of Congress prevented 
the success of this scandalous plot. 

When Scott arrived at New Orleans, on his way to 



76 wmriELD scx^tt. 

tlie Hie Grande, a friend waited on him, and told Lira 
that he had a letter from Senator Barrow, in which 
this scheme was divulged. Scott did not believe it, 
and replied, — " Tell friend Barrow it is not possiUe : 
An American President cannot he guilty of treachery P 
One hardly knows at which to be most amazed — the 
folly or dishonorable character of this transaction. 

Its success would have covered the authors of it 
with infamy, and our arms with disgrace. It had not 
the merit of sagacity to conceal its moral turpitude. 

Scott's arrival at Tampico was the signal of an 
entire revolution in the character of the American 
army. The cold-blooded murders, acts of violence to 
females, and open robberies, committed by General 
Taylor's army, frightful as they appeared, were 
not half known to our people. The General had 
detailed these things to the government, and asked 
what should be done. " Send the criminals av^ay^'' 
was the imbecile reply of the Secretary. But 
the moment Scott took command, he issued liis 
famous martial law orders, in which he declared he 
would bring every offender, whether American or 
Mexican, before court-martial, and deal with him as 
lie would be dealt with in the United States. There 
was no act, from first to last, that conduced so much 
to the success of the campaign as this. The good be- 
havior of the army which was thus secured, dis- 



ASSEMBLES HIS ARMY. 77 

armed the Mexicans, and tlie invaders were treated as 
friends. 

In the meantime, the bill in Congress to raise ten 
additional regiments, was compelled to make room 
for the grand scheme of appointing a lientenant-gene- 
ral, and was not acted on till the close of the session. 
Scott was thus left without the resom'ces upon which 
he had relied. Delay, however, was impossible ; 
for he knew the vomito made its appearance in A^era 
Cruz early in the spring, and if the victorious army 
was not on the table-lands of Mexico before that 
time, it would sink before a deadlier foe than lay be- 
hiiul the walls of the city. Leaving, therefore, ten 
thousand men within the limits of Taylor's com- 
mand, he assembled twelve thousand at the island 
of Lobos, a hundred and twenty-iive miles from 
Yera Cruz. Having reconnoitered the city, and se- 
lected a spot west of the island of Sacrificios, for the 
landing, he, on the 9th of March, ordered the troops 
on board the ships-of-war, and set sail. As the fleet 
stood out to sea, Scott, on board the steamer Massa- 
chusetts, passed slowly through it. The decks of 
every vessel were crowded with soldiers, and as they 
caught sight of the tall form of their commander, there 
went up a shout from the whole squadron — bugles 
rauir, and the thrillinir salute of bands of music 
floated cheerily over the water. lie had started 
from Washington, as he had said, with " a fire in his 



78 WINFIKLD SCOTT. 

rear," and this new selieme to sup2:)lant him, showed 
what a deadly and venomous direction it was taking. 
His noble heart was filled with anxiety, for he knew 
even if that should fail, every movement would be 
narrowly watched, and the first mishap used to efi:ect 
his disgrace. The grand spectacle before him, and 
the consciousness that he was in the midst of a gal- 
lant army, could not drive these thoughts from his 
breast, and turning to the West Point ofiicers that 
stood grouped about him, he said : " Gentlemen, I 
am entering upon this campaign with a halter 
around my neck ; the end of it is at Washington, 
and they are ruthless executioners. Success is abso- 
lutely necessary, and I expect you, my young 
friends, to get this halter otF for me." Gallant, yet 
sad words for a commander to use who is about to 
peril his life on the battle-field at the call of his 
country. Eight nobly did these brave men tear that 
halter from his neck, and hung there instead trophies 
innumerable, that no hate of faction or perversion 
of histoiy can ever remove. 

LAKDING AT VERA CEUZ. 

Scott expected that the Mexicans would resist the 
landing of the troops, and he, therefore, as soon as 
the fleet reached its position, ordered two steamers 
and five gim-boats to be ranged in a line, with their 



THE LANDING. 79 

guns commanding tlie beach wliere tlie debarkation 
was to take place. Everything being ready, five 
thousand five hundred men were phiced in sixty- 
seven surf-boats. 

The scene at this moment was indescribably beauti- 
ful and tbrilling. Those sixty-seven boats, laden with 
men and fluttering with standards, fell back in a 
semicircle towards the vessels that were to cover 
them, while far away glittered in the rays of the set- 
ting sun the domes and towers of Vera Cruz, sur- 
mounted by the stern battlements of the castle of San 
Juan d'Ulloa. Kearer by, stretched away the low 
sand hills of the coast, against which the surf was 
beating with a monotonous roar. The spars and 
rigging of the foreign ships in the harbor were 
covered with spectators, gazing on the new, unwonted 
scene. A slight breeze ruffled the surface of the 
water, while the blue sky and an unclouded sun, sink- 
ing to his evening repose, shed their light and beauty 
on sea and land. Scott stood on the deck of his 
vessel, with his glass in his hand, now scanning the 
surf-boats as they swelled away in a graceful curve 
from the ships, and now turning an anxious eye to 
the distant shore. For a moment perfect silence 
reigned throughout the fleet, and then the loud report 
of a single cannon rung over the water. The thunder 
of that signal gun had scarce died away, before the 
bands struck up a lively air ; the sweeps sunk in the 



80 -WINFIELD SCOTT. 

water, and like a single wave, those sixty-seven boats 
swept steadily and swiftly towards the shore. Scott 
watched their progress with the deepest solicitude ; 
hut at length, when he saw the soldiers leap into the 
water, and rush ashore, and plant the Stars and 
Stripes on a high sand hill without firing a gun, he 
felt that the city was his. At the exciting spectacle 
the shouts of six thousand men rolled from ship to ship 
till their blended echoes reached the shore, and were 
answered by still louder hurrahs. The sun went down 
on that gallant army, scarcely visible amid the sand 
hills, which every moment grew dimmer and dimmer 
in the departing light. A second and third division 
followed, and by ten at night the entire army of 
twelve thousand men stood up in battle array on the 
barren waste that surrounds Vera Cruz. Amid the 
thunder of cannon and explosion of shells that were 
hurled from the city and castle, each division moved 
to its assigned post with the same regularity and 
accuracy they had been accustomed to move on 
parade. 

THE SIEGE. 

Although the investment of the place was com- 
pleted by the 12th, the operations were suspended 
on account of a fierce " norther" which prevented 
the landing of heavy ordnance, and it was not until 



11LK BOMBAJKDMENT OF VERA CRUZ. 81 

the 22d that ScOtt sent a summons to the governor of 
the town to surrender. lie at the same time sent safe- 
guards to foreign consuls and officers, and with his 
usual humanity gave free permission to remove the 
women and children. But both and all being rej ected, 
he on the 24th opened his fire. Tlie line of the siege 
extended five miles, and on the 25th, from limit to 
limit the batteries were in a blaze. Tlie cannonade 
was terrific and awful. The balls of the twenty-four 
pounders and heavy Paixhan guns dropped with the 
weight of falling rocks amid the dwellings of Yera 
Cruz, while the domes of the churches rung with 
the concussion of shot and shells. At night the 
scene was fearfully grand. The walls of the city 
and castle were in a blaze of fire, the ships in the 
harbor stood revealed in the light of their own 
broadsides, while for five miles all through those 
sand hills it thundered and lightened along the 
American line in incessant explosions. Shells cross- 
ing in every direction wove their fiery net-work over 
the heavens, and droj^ped blazing among the terrified 
inhabitants within, follmved by shrieks and cries that 
were borne even to the ears of the besiegers. Deatli 
in its most fi'ightful form traversed the streets, for the 
victims, whether men, women, or children, were torn 
and mangled by the heavy shot and exploding shells. 
Huge gaps appeared in the walls, through which 
storming parties might pass, and the morning of the 



82 WINFIELD SOOTT. 

26tli dawned on a battered, monrnful, and doomed 
city. 

From the commencement of tlie siege, nearly one 
hundred and thirty tons of metal had been hurled 
against the town, spreading devastation, ruin, and 
death on every side. The consuls of foreign powers, 
who had not dreamed of such a terriiic siege, sent a 
request to Scott for a safeguard for themselves, the 
women, and children. The latter replied that he 
had fully considered the sufierings of the women 
and children before he had fired a shot, and that the 
responsibility must now rest on those who had re- 
fused his offer. The town and fortress surren- 
dered, and with them five thousand pi-isoners, and 
five hundred pieces of artillery. The flag of the 
republic floated from the top of San Juan D'Ulloa, 
and the first great blow to the Mexican power had 
fallen. 

The siege of Yera Cruz was the first opportunity 
Scott had had of showing the results of his studies 
in Europe and at home. Two battles in his youth 
had elevated him to the first rank in the army. A 
long interval of peace followed, and the youth of 
twenty-eight had become the man of three score. 
There was every prospect of his passing off the stage 
without giving to his country the ripened fruit of 
the tree whose blossoms were so full of promise. It 
does not always follow that because a young com- 



TAKLNG OF VEKA CEUZ. 83 

mander lias foiiglit a bloodj and victorious battle, 
that lie can plan and cany to a successful termina- 
tion a long and difficult campaign. A good fighter 
is not ahvajs a good thinker ; still Scott's conduct 
while on the northern frontier and in the Cherokee 
country, had obtained for him the confidence of the 
nation, and great things were expected of him. 
But when it was announced that Yera Cruz — ^that 
Gibraltar of Mexico — had fallen, with the loss to the 
American army of only two officers and a few sol- 
diers, men were filled with amazement. The soldiers 
themselves, could scarcely believe the evidence of 
their own senses. Thirty years of thouglit, travel, 
and study had not been thrown away on the Ameri- 
can commander. Such a triumph of skill and 
modern science had never been -^vitnessed on this 
continent. Gen. Taylor had shown what hard fight- 
ing could do, but here was an exhibition of mind 
triumphing over castle walls and well-manned bat- 
teries. During the siege many of the younger 
officers were anxious to carry the place by storm. 
Said Scott to them — " How many men do you sup- 
pose it would cost to do it ?" " Possibly two thou- 
sand or twenty-five hundred ; it would depend on 
circumstances." "But," replied Scott, " I can take 
it with a much less sacrifice." " Yes," was the 
answer, " but the army will win no glory, and 
officers will have no opportunity to distinguish them- 



84r WINFIELD SCOTT. 

Belves." " Remember, gentlemen," rej^lied tlie vete- 
ran, — in words that should be written in gold — ■ 
" that a cotmnander who deUh&ratclij sacrifices one 
life more than is necessary to secivre a mctory 
is guilty of rmtrderP Like Jackson, he was 
careful as a father of his soldiers ; but of his own 
life he was reckless enough. One day, while walk- 
ing the trenches, in the midst of the firing, he saw 
some soldiers peeping over the parapet to witness 
the effect of their shot. " Down, down, men," he 
exclahned, " don't expose yourselves." " But, gen- 
eral," replied a bold fellow, " you are exposed." 
" Oh," said he, " generals now-a-days, can be made 
out of anybody, but men cannot be had." Through- 
out the siege he shared with his troops their discom- 
forts, the bivouac, hard fare, cold and damp, and sand- 
stonns, from the first day to the last. He examined 
all the stations, gave orders for all the batteries and 
their fire, and indeed knew everything that was 
going on. He, by the aid of his well-appointed 
staff, was ubiquitous. 

Worth having been appointed temporary governor 
of Yera Cruz, Scott began his march for the city of 
Mexico. "With eight thousand men he prepared to 
pierce the inland, dotted with fortifications and 
swanning with people. Twiggs' division first set 
off, followed in a few days by others, and soon 
the great national road was alive with the march- 



CEERO GORDO, 85 

ing columns. On tlie tliird day, lie readied tlie base 
of CeiTO Gordo, and in front of powerful batteries 
erected on the intrenched and barricaded lieiglits. 

BATTLE OF CEKRO GORDO. 

The mountain shouldered up so boldly against 
the river that skirted its base, that the road 
left the banks, and wound through the gorges and 
along the ridges till it finally opened on the rich 
plain beyond. Twiggs having reconnoitered the 
enemy's position, resolved at once to attack it. But 
Patterson having joined him with his volunteers, he 
was induced to defer it till the arrival of Scott. 

Tlie latter no sooner came up than he saw a front 
attack would cost him too many men, if, indeed, it 
proved successful at all. The batteries were placed 
on almost inaccessible ridges one behind the other, 
and all enfilading the road along which the columns 
must move. Besides, above them all, on the highest 
point of Cerro Gordo, stood a tower and battery com- 
manding the entire defences below. To advance in 
front would be making separate entrenched heights 
so many stepping stones to a last and almost hope- 
less assault on the topmost battery, lie saw that to 
climb the steep and slippery heights, surmounted by 
the lower batteries, only to receive the plunging fire 
of those above, would be terrible work, and he de- 
termined, if possible, to avoid it. He, therefore, 
5 



86 wiisiaioLD SCOTT. 

made a uew reconnaissance and found tliat a road 
could be cut arouud the mountain, on the opposite 
side from the river, and ascending the heights 
beyond, intersect the national road behind the 
Mexican intrenchments. lie could thus turn the 
entire position. Working parties were immediately 
detailed, and for three days and nights they toiled 
with unflinching zeal before they were discovered. 
Balls and grape shot were then thrown among them 
but without eflect; and on the ITtli, the road was 
completed. Twiggs then stormed a height overlook- 
ing all but Cerro Gordo, and took it, and soon as 
night came, detailed a thousand men to bring up 
cannon with which, in the morning he could fling a 
plunging fire on the exjiosed encampments below. 
A heavy twenty-four pounder, and two twenty-four 
pound howitzers were to be lifted up the almost 
perpendicular sides of the mountain, hundreds of 
feet high. Five hundred men were attached to a 
single gun, relieved as they became exhausted by 
the other five hundred. The night was dark as 
Erebus. A bright fire was built in the gorge below, 
which threw a broad red light on the face of the 
rock, and cast into deeper shadow the chasms that 
opened around. Tliose five hundred men hanging 
along the sides of the momitain at midnight dimly 
revealed in the fire-light, and slowly 2>ulling the 
sluggish gun after them, while the other five hundred 



MORNLNa OF TUE BATTLE. 87 

lay stretched around, presented a strange and pictu- 
rescj^ue spectacle to the beholder below. Inch by 
inch, and foot by foot, each heavy burden slowly 
ascended the heights, till after eight houvH of un- 
ceasing toil, the three guns were planted on the top- 
most rock. The arduous work was accomplished by 
three o'clock in the morning, and when the deep 
shadows that slept in the gorges below, j)aled before 
the early dawn, there stood the gallant band around 
the guns they had lifted to that perilous height. 
They were now above all the Mexican batteries ex- 
ce]3t the fort and tower of Cerro Gordo. This still 
overlooked them, and they knew would rain shot 
and shells into their midst the moment there was 
sufficient light to reveal their position. But they 
forgot for a moment the murderous work before them 
in the thrilling scene that spread beneath their feet. 
As the morning broke the " sweet music of the 
Mexican revillee" echoed amid the mountains, and 
floated in soft cadences over the summits. At 
length the rays of the sun tipped those lofty peaks, 
and stealing swiftly down their craggy sides, bathed 
the hostile encampment in tlie rosy light of a spring 
morning. Large bodies of lancers in brilliant iini- 
forms were moving about — dark masses of infantry 
followed, and the loud and stirring notes of the bugle 
echoed amid the rocks. Farther down, and beyond, 
stretched the luxuriant plain, through which rolled 



88 WmFIELD SCOTT. 

tlie tranquil river, sinning like silver in tlie early 
sunbeams. A spirit of romance was slied over the 
scene, to be dispelled tlie next moment by the 
thunder of cannon and strife of men. 

The Mexicans saw with astonishment the appari- 
tion of an American battery in their midst, and the 
Fort of Cerro Gordo commenced a plunging fire upon 
it. Twiggs, in turn, hailed death on the entrench- 
ments below. But the lofty fort that beetled over all 
the rest was the key-stone of the whole, and Scott 
had, therefore, cut this side-road so that he could 
storm it in flank. Pillow was left to press in front 
against tlie lower batteries along the National Eoad ; 
while Harney, witli the rifles, 1st artillery, and Yth 
infautr}', supported by the 2d and 3d infantry and 4th 
artillery, was to make the crowning efibrt on Cerro 
Gordo itself. The columns were formed under the 
eye of Scott, and he rode slowly along, under a " per- 
fect canopy of balls," encouraging the troops, who 
answered him with loud shouts. At length, when all 
was ready to charge, " Forward" rung from the lips of 
their gallant leader, and the storming parties moved 
forward. In an instant the steep was in a blaze. A 
solid sheet of fire rolled down its rocky sides, while 
the explosion of cannon was so constant and deafen- 
ing that orders could be no longer heard. It was as 
if one of those terrific tropical thunder-storms had 
burst on the top. The echoes rolled down the gorg?". 



CnAEGE OF HAENEY. 89 

and were sent back in deafening reverberations to tlie 
summits. But the plunging fire that swept to destruc- 
tion the front rank of that firm cohimn, could not 
arrest its onward movement. Scrambling up the 
naked, uncovered rocks that smoked mider the balls 
that smote them, they climbed higher and higher, 
the tall athletic form of Harney still in advance. 
Higher and higher, for seven hundred feet, they 
toiled through smoke and flame, until they were lost 
to view amid the sulphurous clouds that enveloped 
them. But the next moment, a thrilling shout burst 
from the summit, — they had mounted the barricades, 
and charging over the guns, swept that hill-top like 
a hurricane. Harney, suddenly finding himself almost 
alone in the presence of a large force, began to order 
Tip his fancied battalions, as though a brigade were at 
his heels. His stentorian voice rung through the battle, 
like a trumpet ; and no sooner was the enemy turned 
in flight, than his swift dragoons wheeled after them, 
chasing them to the very gates of Jalapa, and beyond 
them. Scott, while riding amid the raining balls, saw 
a man holding his shattered arm with the sound one. 
Keining up his horse, a member of his staff" told him 
it was Captain Patten. Halting, he inquired if he 
was badly hurt, but in the terrific thunder crash 
around them, neither question or reply was heard. 
Shields, gallantly leading his brigade to victory, was 
shot through the lungs. Pillow alone was unsuccess- 



90 WINFIELD SC:OTT. 

fill. After the battle, Scott rode up to irarney, flushed 
with victory, and said, " Colonel Harney, I cannot 
now adequately express my admiration of your gallant 
achievement, but at the proper time I shall take great 
pleasure in thanking you in proper terms." That bright 
April morning had ended in storm and blood. The 
dead lay everywhere. The gorges were choked with, 
the Mexicans, while along the fiery track of Harney's 
dragoons, men were stretched in ghastly groups, each 
with his skull cleft, showing the sabre stroke. But 
on every height waved the Stars and Stripes. Scott, 
who by his position, had, in fact, been more exposed 
than the storming-party itself, no sooner saw the 
Americans in the works than he hastened up. The 
spectacle at this moment was thrilling. As he stood 
on that summit, amid the smoke of the guns that were 
still playing on the retiring ranks of the enemy, he 
saw below him the gorges and heights wrapped in 
war-clouds, amid which wandered broken columns 
and shattered battalions, and out of which arose the 
thrilling huzzas of his victorious army. Beside him, 
his lips moving in silent prayer, knelt his chaplain, 
amid the wounded and dying that lay in groups 
around the guns. The storming of that height had 
been a gallant exploit, and Scott witnessed it from 
first to last. And now, as he looked around on 
tJie panting soldiers, who had moved so fearlessly 
through the fire, his noble heart was filled with aflfec- 



TIIE VICTORY. 91 

tion, and lie exclaimed, " Soldiers^ I could tal'e 
every one of you to my Ijosom f then turning to tlie 
young "West Point officers, who had been heroes every 
one, and who now gazed with kindling eyes and 
flushed cheeks on their beloved commander, he shook 
his hand at them, while his eye moistened and his 
lips trembled, and said, " Oli ! you young rascals^ 



you 



m 



Of the fifteen thousand who had defended that moun- 
tain, three thousand prisoners, and a multitude of 
wounded and dying remained on the field. As one 
wound up the ISTational Road after the battle, and 
underneath the frowning batteries, it seemed a dream, 
tluit with the loss of only a few hundred men, they had 
been taken. Positions, where apparently ten men 
could keep at bay a hundred, had fallen before inferior 
numbers. It was with feelings of exultation that 
Scott gazed from that conquered summit on his 
trophies below, and then turned to the rich plain that 
lay beyond, upon the domes and towers of Jalapa, and 
far away to the snow-capped summit of Orizaba. 

In a few days the fortifications were deserted, and 
the victorious army was streaming over the Mexican 
plains. The wolf-dog and the buzzard alone held 
sway, and the stench of putrid corpses filled the deep 
abysses of the mountain. 

The orders of General Scott, previous to this battle, 



92 WIBTFIELD SCOTT. 

is one of the most remarkable in military annals. 
Thej are more like a jjrophecy than directions. 

" Hkadquarters of the Army, ) 
Plan del Rio, April 17, 1847. J 

"The enemy's whole line of intrenehments and 
batteries will be attacked in front, and at the same 
time turned, early in the day to-morrow — probably 
before ten o'clock, a.m. 

" The second (Twiggs') division of regulars is already 
advanced within easy turning distance towards the 
enemy's left. That division has instructions to move 
forward before daylight to-morrow, and take up a 
position across the National Road in the enemy's rear, 
BO as to cut off a retreat towards Salapa. It may be 
reinforced to-day, if unexpectedly attacked in force, 
by regiments — one or two taken from Shields' brigade 
of volunteers. If not, the two volunteer regiments 
will march for that purpose at daylight to-morrow 
morning, under Brigadier -general Shields, who will 
report to Brigadier-general Twiggs, on getting up with 
him, or the General-in-chief, if he be in advance. 

" The remaining regiment of that volunteer brigade 
will receive instructions in the course of this day. 

" The first division of regulars (Worth's) will fol- 
low the movement against the enemy's left at sunrise 
to-morrow morning. 

" As already arranged. Brigadier-general Pillow's 



HIS OEDEES. 93 

brigade will marcli at six o'clock to-morrow morning 
along the route lie has carefully reconnoitered, and 
stand ready as soon as he hears the report of arms on 
our right, or sooner if circumstances should favor him, 
to pierce the enemy's line of batteries at such point — 
the nearer the river the better — as he may select. 
Once in the rear of that line, he will turn to the riglit 
or left, or both, and attack the batteries in reverse ; or, 
if abandoned, he will pursue the enemy with vigor 
until further orders. 

" AVall's field battery and the cavalry will be held 
in reserve on the National Road, a little out of view 
and range of the enemy's batteries. They will take 
up that position at nine o'clock in the morning. 

" The enemy's batteries being carried or abandoned, 
all our divisions and corps will pursue with vigor. 

" This pursuit may be continued many miles, until 
stopped by darkness or fortified positions towards 
Xalapa. Consequently, the body of the army will 
not return to this encampment, but be followed to- 
morrow afternoon, or early the next morning, by the 
baggage trains of the several corps. For this purpose, 
the feebler officers and men of each corps will be left 
to guard its camp and effects, and to load uj) the 
latter in the wagons of the corps. A commander of 
the present encampment will be designated in the 
course of this day. 

" As soon as it shall be known that the enemy's 



94 WINriELD SCOTT. 

works have been carried, or that the general pursuit 
has been commenced, one wagon for each regiment, 
and one for the cavahy, will follow the movement, 
to receive, nnder the directions of medical officers, 
the wounded and disabled, who will be brought back 
to this place for treatment in general hospital. 

" The Surgeon-general will organize this important 
service and designate that hospital, as well as the 
medical officers to be left at it. 

" Every man who marches out to attack or pursue 
the enemy, will take the usual allowance of ammuni- 
tion, and subsistence for at least two days. 
By command of Maj. Gen. Scott, 

H. L. SCOTT, A. A. A. General." 

The next day after the battle, Jalapa was entered, 
and on the 22d, "Worth took possession of the castle 
and town of Perote without striking a blow. The 
15th of May he entered the ancient city of Puebla. 
Thus, in two months, with twelve thousand men, 
Scott had taken ten thousand prisoners — nearly the 
amount of his entire army — four large cities, seven 
hundred cannon, ten thousand stand of small arms, 
and thirty thousand shells and shot. "When this news 
was brought back from that little army locked up in 
the Mexican mountains, the country, with all its ex- 
travagant expectations and boastful spirit, was taken 
by surprise. Men found that facts surpassed their 



HIS PKOCLAMATIOX. 95 

own boasting, and the results exceeded their most 
vivid imaginations. 

Scott at Jalapa issued a proclamation to tlie Mexi- 
can people, in which he appealed to the bishops 
and clergy of the towns through which his army had 
passed, to confirm his declaration, that the rights of 
property, and the persons of individuals had been 
everywhere respected. The people eagerly sought 
for this proclamation — it spread on the wings of the 
wind — their conqueror promised what their own 
army refused. The victor swore to guarantee and 
protect rights, which for a long time had existed only 
in name. The good conduct of the troops, thanks to 
Scott's martial-law orders, fm-nished testimony to 
the truth of his declarations. Worth writing from 
Puebla, said, " it takes admirably, and has accom- 
plished more tlian all the blows from Palo Alto to 
Cerro Gordo." 

The people of Puebla were amazed when they 
saw the little army of the Americans enter their 
city. Measuring it by the deeds it had wrought, 
they expected to behold an army of giants, with 
terrific engines of war, and lo, four or five thousand 
men quietly took np their quarters in the town on 
tlieir way to the capital of Mexico. 

Scott at Puebla reminds one of Kapoleon in Italy. 
What w^ith detachments left behind, killed and 
wounded, sick, deserters, and the dismissed volun- 



96 WINFIELD SCOTT. 

teers, wliose term of service liad expired, liis wliole 
effective force did not reacli five tliousand men, the 
remnant of tlie twelve thousand who had landed at 
Yera Cruz. Yet here he was, two hundred miles 
from the city of Yera Cruz, in a city of eighty thou- 
sand inhabitants, surrounded Ly two millions of peo- 
ple, and watched by an army of twenty thousand men. 
One can hardly conceive a position in which a com- 
mander would feel greater anxiety. The only 
thought would naturally be how to get safely back 
to his ships. But Scott was simply planning the 
best manner of marching on the capital, surrounded 
with fortifications, and teeming with a population 
of two hundred thousand. Nothing excites so much 
surprise as the rashness and dai-ing of such a 
scheme, except the genius and energy that earned 
it through. There, on that elevated plain, seven 
thousand feet high, encircled by the Cordilleras — on 
the very spot where stood the ancient city of 
Cholula, with its two hundred thousand inhabitants, 
and where the first Cortez gazed on the towers of 
four hundred idol temples, now stood the second 
Cortez, with his little band of brave men around 
him. Three hundred and twenty-four years divide 
those conquerors — the only two whose invading feet 
had ever pressed this soil, and both making an epoch 
in the history of the country. The first Cortez 
gazed on innumerable domes and towers, glittering 



PUEBLA. 97 

in the sun — on gorgeous cities, and a land teeming 
with people. Of all their temples and palaces, 
nothing now remained save the lofty 2")yramid of 
Cholula, on the toj) of which sacrifices were of- 
fered to the gods. Solitary and alone it rises in 
gloomy grandeur from the midst of a vast and deso- 
late plain — an enduring monument above the grave 
of a buried city, and a memento of the life that 
was once there. Masses of lava scattered around, 
attesting that volcanoes had raged and died on that 
sjjot, gave a still more sombre asj^ect to the scene. 
On this high plain, as it were, away from the world, 
alone in its beauty, stands this " city of the angels." 
What a strange contrast does the American army 
present to all this. Kushing from the home of civi- 
lization, and out of all the stir and activity of 
modern life, it suddenly finds itself amid the jiast, 
surrounded with men, and dwellings, and imple- 
ments of all kinds that belonged to a former age. 



CHAPTER lY. 

The army at Puebla — Description of the scenery — Arrival of reinforcement — De- 
parture for Mexico — Ascent of the Cordilleras — Magnificent scenery — First view 
of the plain and city of Mexico — ^The road' found impassable — DiflBcult march 
round Lake Chalco to the Acapuico road — Attack on Contreras — Suffering and 
anxiety of the army at night — Storming of the fort— Enthusiastic reception of 
Scott by his victorious troops — San Antonio taken — The three battles of Cherii- 
busco — The flight and pursuit — Scott after battle — The Mexicans propose an 
armistice. 

The troops took possession of tlie city on tlie 15tli of 
May, and remained there nearly two months. In 
that short space, seven hundred perished from sick- 
ness. Tlie government at home was heartily sick of 
the war into which it had plunged the country, and 
began to show an anxiety to bring it to a termina- 
tion, half of which at the outset would have pre- 
vented it altogether. Mr. Trist was sent a commis- 
sioner to make certain proposals, which it was hoped 
might prevent farther hostilities. Tliis futile nego- 
tiation, together with the expectation of reinforce- 



MARCH TO MEXICO. 99 

ments on tlieir way, delayed tlie army till mid sum- 
mer. On the 6tli of May, Col. M'Intosli left Vera 
Cruz with eight hundred men, and a train of one 
hundred and thirty-two wagons. He was followed 
five days after by Gen. Cadwallader, with six hun- 
dred. The next week, Gen. Pillow, with a thousand 
men, took the same route, and still later, General 
Pierce, with twenty-five hundred. Other detach- 
ments also arrived, swelling the anny to nearly 
eleven thousand men. Scott in the meantime had 
not been idle. lie had drilled the five thousand 
men under him almost daily till they had acquired 
a perfection of disci2)line that doubled their effi- 
ciency. The reinforcements brought everything the 
army needed, l)ut money. The military chest was 
in a sad condition, and great dissatisfaction prevailed 
among the troops. Everything, however, being put 
in the best preparation his straitened circumstances 
allowed. Gen. Scott having completed his plans, 
called his officers together and marked out before 
them the future course and operations of the army. 
On the morning of the Ytli, Harney's brigade of 
cavalry moved out of the city followed by Twiggs' 
division. It was a bright summer day, and the long 
array of horsemen, of artillery, and infantry, her- 
alded by bands of music, presented a beautiful ap- 
pearance as it wound over the rolling country, 
dotted with gardens, and began to ascend the Cor- 



100 ^VIXFIELD SCOTT. 

dillcras, Scott siiiToimded with liis staff and a hun- 
dred dragoons soon followed, while shouts greeted hi in 
as he disappeared through the gates and moved with 
his glittering cortege along the road. As the troops 
kept ascending, the view became enlarged, and the 
wind of those tropical highlands blew cold and chill 
around them. Far away Popocatapatl lifted its snowy 
crest eighteen thousand feet into the clear heavens, 
while farther still another icy summit sent its cold 
breath over the army. Scott had so few troops that 
he could leave no depots and garrisons on the way, to 
keep open his communications. lie liad cut himself 
loose from help. One lost battle and all the avenues 
would close forever behind him. Victory alone 
could keep the road open. "With eleven thousand 
he was advancing on an army of thirty thousand, 
defended by fortresses and well supplied with heavy 
artillery. Over all these he must march into a city 
in whicli thirty thousand more combatants awaited 
his approach. Yet he issued his orders with the 
same contidence he would have done had fifty thou- 
sand men followed his standard. lie had started for 
Mexico, and it must be a fiercer fire than ever rolled 
from a Mexican battery that could stop him. lie 
had said to General Worth at Puebla, who wished 
to advance his division eighteen miles from the city, 
in order to watch the enemy, and who also remarked 
that it was in good retreating distance, " I never put 



VIEW OF MEXICO. 101 

one foot forward without designing to bring tlie 
other up to it." Eitlier he woukl dictate terms to 
the enemy in their own capital, or they should exult 
over his grave. 

The army held its way through the wildest moun- 
tain scenery, upon the great stage-road, gradually 
reaching a still higher elevation — now winding 
along a densely wooded ravine, and again skirting 
the shore of some sw^eet lake, that reflected in its 
placid bosom the frowning heights around. All was 
new, and strange, and wild. Cool streams, gushing 
from the sides of the mountain, refreshed the weary 
trooj)s, but at night the wind from the icy heights 
around benumbed their limbs, and made them 
pine for the plains below^ On the third day they 
reached the pass of Kio Frio, more than ten thou- 
sand feet above the level of the sea. This icy little 
stream had cut aw^ay amid the rocks that here closed 
with a gloomy and threatening aspect over the road. 
]^o human foot could scale the precipitous sides of 
the beetling cliffs, which left but a narrow gorge 
through which the traveller could pass. A stu])l)orn 
defence might have been made here, and the enemy 
at one time had evidently resolved to erect a barri- 
cade, and establish batteries ; for timber had been 
felled, and other preparations made. The design, 
however, had been abandoned, and the army passed 
on, and at length reached the highest crest of the 



102 . WIIfFIELD SCOTT. 

mountains. For a long time officers and men had been 
looking out in eager expectation, to obtain tlie first 
view of Mexico. At length the last height was gained, 
and lo the city and plain were before them. A loud 
shout from the head of the column rolled down the 
mountain, and all was excitement and enthusiasm. 
Jerusalem lying like a sweet vision in the plain, could 
scarcely have presented a lovelier spectacle to the 
Crusaders of old than burst at once on the astonished 
army. The cold mountain air was rushing around 
them, but for, far down, and away, spread the vast 
plain of Mexico, shining in summer freshness and 
beauty. In its midst the domes and towers of the 
city glittered in the sunlight. All around it gleamed 
forth the countless lakes that almost lave its walls, 
while a soft haze overhung all, imparting still greater 
tranquillity to the scene. Farther away shone the 
white tops of Popocatapetl and Iztac-eithuatl — • 
their flashing helmets shining clear in the pure at- 
mosphere of the upper regions, while around their 
feet clung the warm vapor of the lakes that strove 
in vain to ascend their sides. Scott reined up with 
his escort, and gazed long and thoughtfully on the 
magnificent spectacle. Before him like a map, lay 
spread out the field of his labor — there, shining in 
summer tranquillity, was the city where his victori- 
ous march was to stop. But between him and it lay 
bloody fields, and perchance, into its crowded popu- 



DESCENDS INTO THE PLAIN. 103 

lation, and amid all that magnificence and wealth, 
he would be compelled to spread devastation and 
ruin. The memories of the past mingled with 
anxious thoughts of the future. How many of that 
gallant armj which moved so gaily down the slope 
would ever recross those mountains. On that plain 
thousands of ambitious hearts would cease to beat, 
and when the lessening files should again disappear 
over this summit, their standards pointing homeward, 
sad remembrances would be mingled with joyous re- 
collections, and sad fiirewells be wafted to comrades 
sleeping in their glorious graves below. As the 
advance column descended into the valley, the soli- 
tude and silence of those highlands were exchanged 
for the bustle and activity of an army in presence 
of the enemy. Horsemen galloping along the roads, 
and scouts scouring the country in every direction, 
warned the American commander that his move- 
ments were watched, and his approach expected. 
Tliree routes to Mexico now oftered themselves to 
liim — the great road from Yera Cruz, along which 
he was moving, or the Acapulco road, or the Toluca 
road. Tlie Acapulco road entered the city at right 
angles to the former, while the Toluca was beyond 
it still farther west. 

Scott first made a reconnaissance of the road along 
which his army was marching, and found to his re- 
gret that it must be abandoned. El Penon, a forti- 



104 WINFIELD SCOTT. 

lied liill, completely commanded the apiiroacli, and 
was made so impregnable, botli bj nature and art, 
tliat a greater sacrifice tlian be conld aftbrd wonld 
be required to carry it. On one side the hill was 
perfectly inaccessible, on the other a ditch twenty- 
four feet wide and ten feet deep had been cut, run- 
ning from marsh to marsh. Above this bristled 
fifty-one cannon, commanding the road and enfilad- 
ing tl^e ditch. From the fort to the city ran a cause- 
way four miles long and surrounded by water, Tlie 
place, therefore, could not be turned, and to carry it 
by assault was a task too great for even that gallant 
army. Besides, if the attempt should succeed, there 
remained four miles of causeway to be traversed, 
swept the whole length by the enemy's cannon. 
Scott, therefore, determined, if possible, to get across 
to the Acapulco road, whose defences, though strong, 
were not so impregnable. But Lake Chalco covered 
the whole intermediate space, and though a cause- 
way stretched across a portion that had been 
partially drained, it was two miles long and an army 
of fifty thousand men could not have forced it against 
the troops and cannon that defended it. Tlie only 
alternative left was to wheel back and go around the 
lake, but here he was met by the mountains that 
came down boldly to the shore. A passage, however, 
was deemed practicable, and "Worth, who command- 
ed the rear division, now took the lead and the army 



CONTRBKAS. 105 

slowly picked its way amid rocks and along a broken 
patli v.'hicli a few hours labor of the enemy would 
have rendered wholly impassable. It was rough 
work for the artillery and wagons. In less than two 
days the twenty-seven miles were accomplished, and 
on the 17th, the head of Worth's column entered 
San Augustine on the Acapulco road, nine miles 
from Mexico. Here the depot of the army was 
established. 

Every precaution, however, had been taken to 
render this road impassable, but there was more 
ground to work on, and the army was not shut in 
between marshes and a mountain. San Antonia, a 
village a little in advance of San Augustine, was 
strongly fortified, and could be approached only by 
a long narrow causeway, on which the batteries of 
the enemy could play with deadly eflect. ISTear 
this villasre were the fortified heio-hts of Contreras 
and the bridge of Churubusco, and farther on and 
closer to the city, the hill of Chapultepec. Scott had 
apparently gained nothing by changing roads. Over 
all those fortifications, defended by a hundred cannon 
and thirty thousand men, his army of less than 
eleven thousand must march before they reached the 
narrow causeways leading to the city and to the in- 
terior lines of defence, which alone were by no 
means to be despised. But his practised eye saw 
at once that if Contreras could be can'ied San 



106 WINTIELD 8COTT. 

Antonia would be turned, and hence rendered harm- 
less. Santa Anna never dreamed this was practicable. 
True the country stretched five miles from the road 
to the mountains, but it was a vast field of volcanic 
rocks and lava, and broken eminences, intersected 
by ditches, and covered with prickly pear, over 
which he thought artillery could not be carried. 

BATTLE OF CONTKERAS. 

Scott, however, ordered Pillow's division to cut a 
road to it, under the direction of Lee, the chief 
engineer. At four o'clock in the afternoon P. F. 
Smith, and Piley, of Twigg's division, and Pierce, 
and Cadwallader, of Pillow's, were with their brigades 
carefully picking their way over the rocks, steadily 
pushing their columns on towards the road that led 
from the fortress to the city. Tliis was a beautiful 
road, and as the enemy saw with astonishment an army 
approaching them over a country hitherto deemed 
impassible, reinforcements were ordered up, and 
along, large bodies of cavalry in quick suc- 
cession were seen to gallop, showing that Valen- 
cia was rapidly concentrating his forces on the 
menaced point. Caj)tain Magruder, with his battery 
of twelve and six pounders, and Lieut Callender, 
with his mountain howitzers and rockets, slowly 
forced their way towards the entrenchments. The 



FIEST DAY. 107 

ground covered with rocks, prickly pear and cactus, 
and the ditches rendered doubly impassable to 
horses, by hedges of the maguey j)lant, made their 
progress so slow that long before they could get into 
position, grape, canister, and round shot were hurled 
into their ranks from twenty -two guns of the enemy. 
With the utmost eftbrt only three pieces could at 
last be got into battery. These three comparatively 
light guns made but a feeble response to the murder- 
ous cannonade from the heights. Still for two hours 
the infantry and artiller}nnen bravely stood their 
ground. At every discharge of the hostile batte- 
ries, they would fall flat on their faces, and let the 
iron storm rush over them, and then rise and serve 
their guns. This was disheartening work, and at 
length two of the pieces were dismounted, and most 
of the cannoneers killed or wounded. The force 
was then recalled. Kiley, in another part of the 
field, kept up a skirmishing with the enemy, and 
several times repulsed the charges of Mexican 
cavalry. But without cavalry or artillery, no de- 
monstration could be made against the force before 
him. If the troops charged in line, having no artil- 
lery, they would be cut asunder by cavalry, and if 
in column, they would be rent into fragments by 
Mexican batteries. All fm-ther attempts on the hill 
were therefore abandoned for that day, but Scott 
kept pushing his troops towards the road that led 



108 WINTIELD SCOTT. 

from Contreras to tlie city. The reinforcementa 
that were pouring over it, must be stopped at all 
hazards, and he sent forward by another route. 
Col. Morgan followed soon after by Shields' brigade 
of 'New York and South Carolina volunteers to 
occupy the church and few houses of the settlement 
itself, and thus block up the road. Waiting till 
dark, they made a detour through a dense forest, 
and at length reached their destination. 

The night of the 19th closed cheerless and disheart- 
ening around the American army. Tlie heavens 
were black, and the sombre hue which a pending 
storm shed on everything, rendered the prospect 
still more desolate. The rifle regiment that had 
been toiling and fighting all the afternoon, was 
ordered with the 1st. artillery and 3d infantry to the 
same hamlet. Through chapparel and cactus they had 
forced their way, and late at night, tired and hungry, 
joined Kiley's brigade, which, with "Worth, occu- 
pied the road. ShiekFs brigade encamped in an ad- 
joining orchard, while Cadwallader's lay still nearer 
the enemy. The road being enfiladed by the bat- 
teries of the fortress, the troops occnj^ying it built 
breast works, both to conceal themselves and protect 
them from the grape shot. Nothing could be more 
discouraging than their position. Part had made 
their way over rocks, ditches, and through chapparel 
of thorns to that hamlet, and part through a dense 



TEE NIGHT. 109 

forest, and now occupied ground tliey were utterly- 
ignorant of, or of tlie route to the other portions of 
the army. Each asked the other where was Scott, 
hut no one could tell. If they could only hear from 
him, all would be right ; one word from their com- 
mander, letting them know he was aware of their 
position, would be sufficient. But cut off from all 
communication with tlie army, without artillery, 
ignorant of the ground they occupied, crushed, as it 
were, between the overwhelming forces of Santa 
Anna in Mexico, and those under Yalencia in Con- 
treras, the gloomy night promised a still gloomier 
morning. Scott was weighed down with nearly 
equal anxiety, for he could obtain no tidings from these 
gallant brigades. He had sent out seven diiferent 
officers, but not one could get through. Capt. Lee 
at last reached him with a message from Shields, 
announcing that his orders had been fulfilled. Still 
he had reason to be anxious, for a vigilant and dar- 
ing enemy would, ere morning, have dealt him a 
staggering blow. To add to the gloom and despon- 
dency of the men, a heavy rain set in. Most of the 
officers had lost their blankets and overcoats in cross- 
ing the rough and thorny fields to their position, and 
uncovered, lay down beside their worn-out soldiers 
in the road and orchard. " Too weary to eat, too 
wet to sleej)," they lay packed together in the dirt 
which, at length, became a mass of mud, and a sorry 
7 



110 AVINFIKLU SCOTT, 

set of men tliey were. At leiigtli it was wliispcred 
from man to man, " we starvi at m'ulnigJd.''^ A sud- 
den thrill made tliem for a moment foi'gct their con- 
dition, but midnight came, and with it a deluge of 
rain. Tlie road soon became flooded with water as 
it poured in streams amid the weary troops, and they 
were compelled to abandon even that miserable 
couch, and stand crowded and shiveriug, shoulder to 
shoulder under the pelting storm, till near daylight. 
The orders were to have everything ready for an at- 
tack by daylight, but the darkness and the storm 
rendered this impracticable. But about four o'clock 
Riley and Smith defiled their troops silently from 
the road and moved towards the position assigned 
them in rear of the fort. A ravine lined with orch- 
ards and corn-fields presented an admirable protec- 
tion for them, and they reached their place of con- 
cealment unobserved. Cadwallader took position in 
their rear, while Shields, with Col. Morgan's regiment 
held the road to stop the approach of reinforcements 
from the city, and also to cut off the retreat of Va- 
lencia's army after the hill should be carried. The 
.IMexicans remained entirely ignorant of all these 
movements, and were expecting to have i\iQ attack in 
front renewed in the morning. 

The American trooj)S were now themselves again. 
Though every soldier was soaking wet and shivering 
with culd and hunger, not a heart beat faint. Ilun- 



THE ASSAULT. Ill 

ger, cold, and fotlgiie, were all Ibrgottei), for they 
were witljin tiger-s^priiig of the foe. Besides to stim- 
ulate their ardor, the Liill was shaking with the thun- 
der of Valencia's cannon, and clouds of smoke were 
rolling heavily away over their heads. The daylight 
which dawned so murkily through tlie morning 
vapors, revealed to the enemy General Shields' 
brigade occupying the road, and the Mexican Gene- 
ral had turned, his guns upon it, little drealning 
of the volcano that was about to open at his very 
feet. 

At length, at six o'clock, Smith slowly walked up 
to his men and asked if all was ready. The kindling 
eye and eager look answered him, and " men^ for- 
ward'''' rOiW along the line. The next moment they 
leaped over the slight ridge that concealed them, 
and pouring in a sudden deadly fire tliat seemed to 
the astonished Mexicans to issue from the very 
bowels of the earth, rushed forward with shouts and. 
yells that drowned even the crack of their own rifles 
and the roar of the enemy's guns. The fire (»f tlio 
fort was instantly turned on them, but owing to the 
rapid advance of the maddened Americans, it went 
over their heads, and they kept on their headlong 
way, firing as they ran, till they reached the para- 
pet. Scoffing at the volley that met them here, they 
cleared the breastwork with a bound, and the brave 
rifles having no bayonets, clubbed their pieces, and 



112 •WINFIELD SOOTT. 

the heavy blows of the stocks could be plainly heard 
amid the cries and groans of the dying. The work 
of death then commenced, for though General Salas 
succeeded in rallying his troops, and endeavored 
bravely to stem the torrent, he only increased the 
carnage. He ordered a splendid body of lancers 
that came winding np the road in tlieir brilliant uni- 
forms, to charge the Americans, but frightened at 
the yells of the struggling, swaying mass, they 
turned and galloped away. The actual conflict 
lasted scarcely twenty minutes, but the pursuit and 
carnage continued. Every passage was literally 
blocked with the fugitives, among whom the fore- 
most of the Americans plunged so madly, that those 
in rear dared not fire, lest they should kill their 
comrades. The part that took the road to the city, 
was cut down or made prisoners by Shields' brigade. 
Every ravine was filled with Mexican corpses ; all 
through the cornfields and orchards, the earth was 
sprinkled with the dead and wounded. Five hun- 
dred getting jammed in a pass, thirty Americans 
headed them ofif, and firing down on them, took the 
whole prisoners, of whom one hundred were officers. 
It seemed as if the despondency, and suffering, 
and hunger of the night before had filled the troops 
with tenfold fury, so hotly and desperately did they 
press the fugitives. On every side small bodies of 
Americans were seen pouring their volleys into large 



THE PURSUIT. 113 

masses of the enemy, as tliey crowded over the 
fiehls. Through the forest, amid the volcanic rocks, 
and thickets of chapparel, the incessant crack of the 
rifle and shouts of men were heard. Many were too 
frightened to ask for quarter. The awful yells and 
frightful ferocity with which the American troops 
had scaled that hill, and leaped into their midst, 
made them believe their doom was sealed if taken, 
and thus the slaughter was increased. This fierce 
]3ursuit continued for hours, and when at length the 
last soldier had obeyed the recall, and the weary re- 
giments were once more in their respective places, 
that hill presented a frightful spectacle. Seventeen 
hundred killed and wounded, had been stretched 
around it, and along the roads that led away from its 
base. The wet earth was red with blood. Over 
eight hundred prisoners, and among them fom* gene- 
rals, twenty-two pieces of brass cannon, seven hun- 
dred pack-mules, and small arms, ammunition, 
stores, etc., in vast quantities, were the trophies of 
this great victory, and more than all, a strong posi- 
tion had been taken, and another rendered useless, 
with comparatively small loss to the American army. 
A great moral effect, moreover, had been secured. 
The prestige of success— the idea of invincibility, 
now surrounded the invaders, and no certain reliance 
could be placed by the enemy on their remaining 
strong defences. The shout of triumph that rolled 



114 WmPIELD SCOTT. 

from tlie summit of Contreras carried consternation 
into the city, and Santa Anna, for tlie third time, 
trembled before the skill and daring that set at 
naught his strongest fortresses and choicest troops. 
But if the dismay and despondency were great on 
one side, the exultation and confidence were equally 
great on the other. That little army, stretched in 
the mud beneath the pitiless storm, and cut off from 
all communication with their leader, at midnight, 
and that same army sending up their shout of tri- 
umph at sunrise from the top of Contreras, present a 
wide contrast. The rifles had earned imperishable 
fame. Scott shared in the enthusiasm of the victory, 
as he had in the anxiety of the night before. 
Divided from his troops, and no longer able, with 
his presence, to remedy faults or check reverses, he 
knew that failure might easily occur, and felt how 
discouraging to his own troops, and inspiriting to the 
enemy it would be. But little sleep visited his eyes 
that night ; and as he gazed out into the darkness 
and pouring rain, and ever and anon asked if 
there were any tidings from the other half of his 
army, his staff saw that he felt more than he dare 
express. As one after another came back, drenching 
wet from his fruitless efforts to penetrate to those 
brigades, his anxiety increased, and not till the brave 
and indefatigable Lee brought a message from 
Shields, did he breathe free again. The fij'st gun 



UTS ADDRESS TO THE TROOrS. 115 

tired at day-break on tlie brigade of Shields Lronglit 
him to the saddle, and he and his escort swept along 
the road towards Contreras. But before he arrived 
the hill was carried, the battle won, and he beheld 
with the enthusiastic joy of youth the dismembered 
and fugitive army of Valentia streaming over the 
fields. As those brave brigades saw him approach, 
there went up a shout as loud as that which greeted 
the morning sun when the American flag floated 
from the top of Contreras. Eiding up to the rifles, 
he exclaimed, " Brave rifles, you have heeii hajptlzed 
in fire and Mood, and come out steelP He was 
mounted on a horse seventeen or eighteen hands 
high, and with his tall form towering above all his 
escort, he rode slowly amid the ranks, while the 
very heavens shook with the acclamations of the sol- 
diers. There was a wildness and enthusiasm in the 
welcome that the composure of that iron-hearted 
chief could no longer resist. This almost fierce mani- 
festation of love unmanned him, and reining up his 
horse, he dropped the bridle, and stretching out hjs 
hands, while his lips quivered and his eye moistened 
with feeling, he exclaimed, " silence, silence?'^ The 
tumult suddenly hushed, and every ear was bent to 
catch the words that should fall from his lips. 

With his hand still outstretched, and his face 
turned towards heaven, he exclaimed, " Soldiers, 
ill the first ])lace, great glory to God; in the second 



116 WDSTFIELD SCOTT. 

place great glory to this gallant little army.'"' " Oh," 
said one of tlie officers, " you sliould have heard the 
frantic shouts and hurrahs that followed." It seemed 
as if the soldiers would break their ranks and tear 
him from his horse. Tlie doubts and distrust of the 
night before had given way to unbounded confidence 
in their leader's skill, and at his command they now 
would have charged on ten or ten thousand alike. The 
gallant 4th artillery lost two guns at the battle of 
Buena Yista, though not until Captain O'Brien had 
seen his whole section shot down and stood alone 
with his pieces. Here they were retaken, and this 
noble company gathered round them with cheer after 
cheer. Scott riding up at the moment, waved his 
hand and shouted with the rest, and exultation and joy 
reigned throughout the army. Three thousand five 
hundred men had demolished, with a single blow, 
an army of seven thousand. 

Tlie day's work, however, glorious as it had been, 
was not yet completed. Three more battles and 
three more victories were to be fought and won be- 
fore sunset. The American army was now in the 
very midst of fortifications, and could not pause. 
Behind and near it lay San Antonia, and before it 
and only four miles distant Churubusco. The for- 
mer was in reality turned, and when Garland, ynih 
his brigade approached, the Mexicans fled, and he 
took possession without resistance, and uniting with 



cnuEUBusco. 117 

Clarhe, whicli bad cut tlie retiring column in two, 
started in fierce pursuit. 

BATTLE OF CHUKtIBrSCO. 

But the great movement of tlie day was on Cliuru- 
busco, where Santa Anna had concentrated his 
troops, and where the fugitives from Contreras and 
San Antonia rallied. Churubusco was on the great 
causeway leading from San Antonia, to Mexico, but 
a canal stretched along in front of it, over which 
the causeway was continued by a bridge. This 
bridge was swept by batteries, and a column advanc- 
ing over the causeway to its still narrower entrance 
would be exposed to a concentrated and tremendous 
fire. To make the approach still more perilous, a 
field work had been erected some three hundred 
yards in front of this tete du jpont though a little one 
side of the causeway. Tliis was comj^osed of a 
hacienda surrounded by a wall pierced with a 
double row of embrasures and commanding the road 
• — a stone building inside still higher, and a fortified 
church higher than all. The batteries mounted here 
not only overlooked and swept the road along which 
the American columns must pass, but were within 
close cannon shot of tlie bridge which was to be car- 
ried by storm. There was, however, a side road to 
the hacienda from Coyhoacan, and along this thti 



118 WINTIELD SCOTT. 

divisions of Twiggs and Pillow, together with Shields 
brigade, accompanied by the rifles, were to advance 
and divert its fire from Worth, who, keeping along 
the main causeway from San Antonia, would leave 
it one side, and be arrested only at the bridge. 
Thus two separate battles were to be fought within 
half cannon shot of each other. 

Scott, accompanying Pillow's division, had halted 
when within a mile of Churubusco, and arranged the 
whole attack. He then took his position on the top 
of a house, where he could survey both battle-fields, 
whose clouds were to mingle into one. The brigades 
of Shields and Pierce were ordered to occupy a cross 
road which led to the rear of Churubusco, and thus 
efi:ect the double purpose of deterring Santa Anna 
from sending reinforcements to the hacienda, by keep- 
ing him in constant fear of an attack on his rear and 
flank, and also of cutting ofl" the retreat of Rincon's 
army should Twiggs succeed in driving it out. "No- 
thing could be more perfect than this plan of General 
Scott's. By it, he prevented Santa Anna from con- 
centrating his overwhelming force on a single point. 
lie confused and distracted him so, that he did not 
know where the heaviest blow was to fall ; while, at 
the same time, so much was threatened, that defeat 
anywhere seemed to involve complete ruin. This 
spreading of so many meshes around the feet of the 
enemy, exhibits the wonderful generalship of Scott. 



HIS GENERALSHIP. 119 

A commander is great in proportion to the extent of 
his resonrces ; and though the world generally does 
not understand this, it gives him full credit in tlie 
results which it can understand. "Wlien the soldier 
becomes aware of it, he moves to his station in 
perfect assurance of victory. He loves the com- 
mander who, by his daring and stubborn resolution, 
tramples under foot the best-laid schemes ; but he 
delights still more in one who can not only outfight^ 
but outwit the enemy. Especially is this true of the 
American soldier, for, to an American, a man OQjer- 
reached is already a beaten man. Besides, he feels a 
certain elasticity and confidence the moment that he 
finds his foe disconcerted. It was thus Scott acquired 
such an ascendancy over his troops. They did not care 
what his orders were — they knew they could be ful- 
filled. The character of the separate duties of brigades 
or regiments, or the difficulties in the path of each, 
were not to be considered, the general, final result 
would inevitably be a victory. Defeat under Scott 
the army came at last to consider impossible. He could 
not commit a blunder ; and should a repulse occur, 
the blame must rest on the troops, not on him. Their 
confidence was not misjjlaced, and that same confi- 
dence gave them tenfold power. Whether standing 
quietly under a murderous fire, or storming almost 
inaccessible heights, the thought of not succeeding, if 



120 WINFIELD SCOTT. 

their chief was lookiug on, never entered their minds. 
His direction to do a thing, was conclusive evidence 
that it could be done. 

Everything being ready, at one o'clock the order 
was given to advance, and Scott saw the columns 
moving along the different roads in beautiful order. 
At length they came within reach of the Mexican 
batteries, which opened a tremendous fire upon them. 
Twiggs, marching full on the hacienda, planted his 
guns in close range, and the next moment the plain 
shook with their heavy explosions. The cannonading 
was like the incessant roll of thunder. Through the 
smoke that rolled over the causeway and past this 
blazing volcano, "Worth led his division swiftly towards 
the batteries on the bridge. Colonel Garland, a little 
to the right of the road, and Clarke and Cadwallader 
directly on the road, marched steadily forward through 
the fire. The heads of the columns melted away 
before the sweeping discharges from the batteries 
on the bridge, but the ranks closed steadily up, 
and under those gallant leaders, pressed firmly on. 
Garland's column suffered severely from a line of 
infantry as he approached, but nothing could check 
the ardor of his troops, that kept pushing on till the 
line before them broke and fled. Clarke's brigade, 
with equal coolness, kept moving up, making straight 
for the bridge. The uproar of the two battles, not 
over three hundred yards a])art, was at this moment 



CHUKUBUSCO. 121 

terrific. Nothing like it had ever been heard on 
the plains of Mexico, and the domes and towers of 
the city were crowded with men and women gazing 
ofp where the white and sulphurous clouds rolling up 
in the distance revealed the place of conflict. After 
an hour and a half of incessant fighting, Clarke's 
brigade at length reached the tete du ])ont ', the order 
to charge passed through the excited ranks, and with a 
loud shout, they crowded across the ditch, stormed 
the parapets, and rushing furiously over the bridge 
streamed after the fugitives as they fled towards the 
capital. Twiggs heard the thunder of battle rolling 
away from him, and he knew the bridge was carried, 
and that the victorious division of "Worth was chasing 
the enemy before it, and he resolved it should not 
be the last victory of that day. He had stood for two 
hours and a half under the murderous fire of the 
batteries, and by directing them on himself, saved 
Worth from destruction. 

Santa Anna, seeing how the battle was froino-, 
suddenly poured four thousand infantry, and three 
thousand cavalry on the brigades of Pierce and 
Shields. Here were no defences, and it seemed im- 
possible that these two brigades could stand the 
weight of such overpowering masses. But these 
rifles "had been baptized in fire and blood," and 
their quick, deadly fii'c empted saddles with frightful 
rapidity. 



122 WINTIELD SCOTT. 

The ISTew York and South Cai-olina volunteers 
vieing with each other in heroic daring and steady 
courage, bore up against these heavy onsets witli the 
firmness of veterans, and pouring themselves in 
tumultuous shouts on the enemy, swept them again 
and again from their batteries. They melted away 
like the morning mist, but still shoulder to shoulder 
they moved unflinchingly through the storm. The 
road was jDacked and piled with the dead, and that 
curtain of brave men, which alone kej^t Santa 
Anna's masses from falling on the already exhausted 
Twiggs, was rent into fragments, — still, with such a 
leader as Shields, they could not be beaten. Brave, 
resolute, and with a tenacity of will nothing but 
death could shake, he moved amid his men a tower 
of strength. Once surrounded, he told his troops to 
charge through the hostile ranks. They obeyed, 
rending the line asunder as though it had been a 
band of straw. 

Scott saw the peril of this brave commander, and 
the regiments of Kansom, Wood, and Morgan were 
successively hurried to his aid. One after another 
they came at the pas de charge^ and shouting cheer- 
fully to their hard beset comrades, went rolling like 
loosened cliffs on the foe. Shields heard their shouts 
with joy, for his brave Carolinian and New York 
volunteers were fast filling their glorious graves. 
The gallant Butler fell cheering on his men, and for 



TITE VICTORY. 123 

a long time Twiggs listened to tliis incessant and 
tremendous firing in his rear with the deepest 
anxiety. 

Santa Anna was making a desperate effort to re- 
trieve the losses of the morning, and again and again 
bore fiercely down with the flower of the Mexican 
cavalry on the diminutive force that so steadily beat 
back his legions. But no defeat was to mar that day 
BO gloriously begim ; and Santa Anna was at length 
compelled to give way. 

The veteran Twiggs, drawing his girdle of fii-e still 
closer and closer around that hacienda, at length car- 
ried it sword in hand, and Rincon's army streamed 
after the other fugitives towards Mexico. The dead 
and the dying were left in their gore, and the tide 
of battle swept fiercely away towards the capital. 
That causeway was dark with men, and fluttering 
with standards, while white spots of smoke in the dis- 
tance, and the far off roll of cannon, and faintly heard 
shouts told that the work of death was not yet done. 

The gay and brilliant uniform of the Mexican 
lancers as they galloped frantically in long columns 
along the causeway over their own infantry, present- 
ed a striking contrast to the dark, compact body of 
American dragoons that pressed on their flying traces. 
It was a wild, exciting scene. The blood of those bold 
dragoons was up, and they never pulled rein till they 
reached the gates of Mexico. 



124 VVINFIELD SCOTT. 

The American bngle, sounding tLe recall under 
the walls of the capital, was ominous of evil. 
Kearney, with one arm shattered, then led his troop 
back over the field of slaughter. Nine thousand 
Americans had trampled under foot thirty thousand 
Mexicans. The field presented a ghastly spectacle. 
Friend and foe lay side by side, while cries of distress 
and moans arose in every direction. The earth had 
been soaked with the blood of brave men, on whose 
cold dull ears, the triumphant shouts of regiment after 
regiment as they returned from the pursuit, fell unheed- 
ed. "What a day this had been, and what a scene the 
sun in his course had looked upon. His rising beams 
flashed on the crimson summit of Contreras ; his 
noonday splendor failed to pierce the war cloud that 
shrouded the tens of thousands struggling in mortal 
combat around Churubusco, and now his departing 
rays, as he stooped behind the Cordilleras, fell on a 
mournful field of slaughter. But they kissed in their 
farewell the American standard fluttering from every 
summit and tower, where in the morning the Mexi- 
can cross greeted his coming. 

What a contrast did the two nights present. At 
sunset the day before, the American soldiers had suf- 
fered defeat, and were desponding; to-night, they were 
frantic with joy and exultation. Scott, cut oft' from 
half his troops, who, discouraged, sad, and sorrowful, 
and drenched to the skin, stood at midnight under the 



AFTER THE BATT'LE. 125 

batteries at Contreras ; and Scott ridmg tliroiigh liis 
gallant army, that rent the heavens with acclamations, 
is hardly the same man. Four brilliant victories in 
one day, and every strong defence but one between 
him and the capital broken down, lifted a w^eight from 
his heart, the pressm'e of which no one had known. 
And as he now rode iip to the thinned and blackened 
regiments, he addressed them by turn in enthusiastic 
praise. He called them his brave comrades, and as 
they crowded around to seize his hand, told them they 
had covered their country's flag with glory. He loves 
the brave, and as he passed along, his very face was 
eloquent with feeling. This open and unbounded 
commendation, raised to the last pitch of excitement 
the already enthusiastic troops, and their shouts and 
acclamations shook the very plain on which they 
stood. The brave old Rincon leaned from the balcony 
of the church he had so gallantly defended, and 
though a prisoner, gazed with undisguised delight on 
this manifestation of unbounded love for their leader. 
He could not escape the contagion of the enthusiasm, 
and loved his captors better for their devotion to their 
noble commander. Soldiers will ever love such a 
chief, and such a chief will ever be worshipped by his 
soldiers. Scott had good reason to be proud of his 
army. Since morning they had stormed and taken 
Contreras, the bridge and citadel of Churubuscu, cap- 
tured San Autonia, and beaten Santa Anna in the 



12G WINPIELD SCOTT. 

open field. Such a day's work was never done by 
nine thousand men before. As one looked on those 
heavy batteries, and almost impregnable defences, it 
seemed impossible that they had all been carried 
within twelve hours. But a few more such days 
would annihilate the American army. A thousand 
men had fallen, and among them nearly eighty officers. 
The American uniform was sprinkled thick around 
those grim batteries ; and victories that cost him a 
ninth part of his men killed and wounded, would soon 
leave Scott destitute. He was nearly three hundred 
miles from Yera Cruz, with only eight thousand un- 
wounded men around him. With this comparative 
handful, he was yet to carry a still more impregnable 
fortress and the capital itself. He thought of those 
things on that night of triumph. But the weary army, 
flushed with victory, dreamed only of greater triumphs 
to come. The thunder of battle had ceased; the 
carnage and strife were done ; and the living and the 
dead slept side by side on the field where they had 
struggled. The uproar of the day gave way to the 
silence of night. Nature, taking no note of man's in- 
human strifes, wore the same tranquil look as ever, 
and the breath of summer fanned lowland and upland 
as gently as though no groaning men cumbered the 
field. The stars came out on the sky, and shed their 
pure radiance on the blackened batteries and crimson 
iutrenchments, keeping watch all that peaceful night 



NIGHT SCENE. 127 

with the sentry as he walked his weary rounds. The 
flags that had been carried so resistlessly through the 
storm of battle, drooped adown their staves, — emblmes 
of victory all unheeded now by the fiery sleepers be- 
neath. The day had opened and closed in blood and 
slaughter, yet the night showed no change. Far away, 
along the green valleys and hill sides of this free 
land, were fathers, and mothers, and brothers, and 
sisters, .and wives, who little knew how laden with 
sorrrow that briglit summer day liad been to them. 
How inscrutable are the designs of heaven, and how 
unthinkingly men carry them out. Scott, who had 
seen enough of carnage, wrote after this dreadful day, 
" enough blood has been shed in this unnatural war ;" 
and to all thinking men, it seemed a wicked and use- 
less waste of life. The former it doubtless was ; of the 
latter, we are not so sure. 

Victories are no longer mere indications of prowess 
and strength. Linked together as nations now are, 
they tell on civilization and on the destiny of the 
world. The authors of this war are without excuse, 
but what necessary link it may form in the chain of 
human events no one is able to determine. It in the 
first place saved West Point Academy, which in the 
end may save the republic, and doubtless, will save 
more men than fell between Yera Cruz and Mexico. 
It gave us a position in Europe, and thus strength- 
ened the hopes of freedom everywhere. It gave us 



128 WINFIELD SCOTT. 

alsoautliority in a country where we then thought '\vg 
had no interest ; but wliere now we see we have 
niucli. It removed (and we trust forever) the absurd 
and insane idea, that educated officers were not 
needed in this country — that from the masses woukl 
spring able generals like mushrooms after a rain. It 
has inspired respect abroad and confidence at home, 
bv showino; the real strena-th of the nation. That 
little ai*my sleeping almost under the walls of Mexi- 
co, has at least turned over a new leaf in the book 
of history, if not for good then for evil. 

The next morning Scott while moving to Coyhoa- 
can was met by conmiissioners from Santa Anna, 
proposing an armistice. lie replied that he was 
willing to accede to one, and they would find him 
that night at Tacubaya. The road thither passed 
within reach of the batteries of Chapultepec, and 
the commissioners told him if he would delay his 
inarch a few hours, orders would be issued to pre- 
vent him and his escort from being fired upon. 
Scott thanked them for their kindness, but with his 
hundred dragoons boldly j^roceeded on his way, and 
slept that night in the Archiepiscopal palace of 
Mexico, and in full view of the domes and towers of 
the capital. It is thought that at this time he could 
have prevented another battle by assailing the city 
with shells. But tlie carnaixc would be frIo;htful in 
that crowded population, and he humanely listened 



THE ARMISTICE. 129 

to the first overtures for peace. This humanity, 
however, in the end cost him his bravest troo^js. 

The administration in jiower at this time did 
nothing but heap blunder on blunder in their efforts 
to conduct the war. Tlie insane project of j^lacing 
a lieutenant-general over Scott, was followed by- 
one not so despicable but ecpiallj absurd — the ap- 
pointment of an agent to treat wdth the Mexican 
powers. The mere tact announced at Puebla, excited 
the contempt of the officers, and inflated the Mexicans 
with arrogance. Having sent an army of invasion 
into Mexico it should have em2:>owered the com- 
mander-in-chief alone to treat with its rulei'S, until 
regular commissioners had been aj^pointed to nego- 
tiate a peace away from the field of battle. But it 
seemed fated that nothing but the gallantry of the 
American army should redeem the errors in 
wdiich this "unnatural war" had commenced. 
There was justice at least in this, for neither the 
merit or blame has ever been or will be divided. 
The cru/ie rests with the administration, the fflorf/ 
with the army. 



CHAPTEK y. 

Tbe Armistice — Scott resolves to carry Chapultepec ty storm— Descriiition of 
tbe Fortress— Battle of Molino Del Key— Tbe field iifter the victory— The con- 
dition and prospects of the Army at this time — Misbehaviour of tbe Government 
—Defence of Bcott— His plan for assaulting Chapultepec— Day preceding (ha 
Battle— The final attack. 

For nearly three weeks Scott and his patient little 
army sat down in full view of Mexico, waiting the 
movements of Mr. Trist and the Mexican Commis- 
sioners. This project of sending an agent two thou- 
sand miles distant, to present a treaty either before or 
after a battle, — claiming the right to arrest and delay 
the movements of an army, at a time when the Com- 
mander-in-chief might deem it of the utmost import- 
ance to advance, was another folly in that series of 
follies which had characterized the whole course of 
the administration from the commencement of the 
war. 

Scott, however, did not remain idle. In the first 
place, twenty-nine deserters taken in the citadel of 
Churubusco were tried by court-martial. Fighting 



EXECUTION OF EESEETEE8. 131 

with a halter about their necks, they had fought like 
demons, doing more execution than a whole regiment 
of Mexicans. Sixteen of these wretches were huns:, 
and theii" blackened corpses left to swing in the wind, 
a terrible example to traitors. The citj, in the mean- 
time, was carefully studied, and every plan for secur- 
ing its downfall thoroughly weighed and examined. 
But his position, notwithstanding the great victories 
achieved, was perilous in the extreme. Cut off from 
all resources, with an army of more than thirty thou- 
sand men, and a fortified city of two hundred thou- 
sand inhabitants before him, he surveyed his little 
army of eight thousand men with an anxious heart. 
He could rely on them, for he had tried them. But 
one day of disaster would shake it sadly. To retreat 
after a severe defeat would be impossible. The terror 
of his arms alone kept down the inhabitants. "With 
that gone, the swarming population would gather in 
endless thousands around his path, and the Mexican 
cavalry tramj)le down his enfeebled battalions from 
the capital to Vera Cruz. Like Taylor at Buena 
Yista, it was victory or ruin with him. 

Anticipating failure in the negotiations, he had, 
after a close examination of the various modes of 
assaulting the capital, adoj^ted a plan of ojDerations, 
which he resolved to commence the moment the 
armistice should close. There were eight different 
avenues to the city in its entire circuit, terminating 



133 WINFIELD SCOTT. 

in five gates, eacli of which constituted a small fort, 
where a few men and cannon could resist almost any 
force brought against it. Around a part of the city 
stretched an impassable morass, crossed by long 
causeways, commanded by batteries from the walls, 
and also by the castle of Chapultepec. Around the 
other portion stretched a wide canal, which it would 
be necessary to bridge under the enemy's fire. But 
could all these obstacles be overcome, there remained 
the fortress of Chapultepec, overlooking and com- 
manding the city, so that if the American army were 
once within, they could not hold it should the 
Mexicans resolve to bombard their own capital. 
But with Chapultepec in his power, Scott would have 
the town under his guns, and it must fall. He, there- 
fore, resolved to assail it, notwithstanding the almost 
impregnable fortifications that defended it. But with 
a less skilful commander than he, or with a less 
gallant army that closed resolutely around him, its 
conquest would have been impossible. It was sur- 
rounded at the base by a high massive wall ; its 
sides were spotted with forts and walls ; and from 
its top, a hundred and fifty feet high, arose the 
castle, with its wings, bastions, parapets, and redoubts, 
all surmounted by a splendid dome, that flashed 
proudly in the clear sunlight. Around this castle ran 
two strong walls, ten or fifteen feet high, over whicli 
the troops must climb before they could efiect an 



CriAPULTEPEC. 133 

entrance. The whole frowning to_[„-was covered with 
heavy cannon defended by an army of thirty thousand 
men. Only on one side could this precipitous rock 
be scaled ; the western, towards the city. This was 
clothed with a heavy forest : but at tlie base were two 
fortified positions, Molino del Key, or the King's 
Mill, a thick stone building with towers, and Casa de 
Mata, anotlier massive stone building, the two stand- 
ing about four hundred yards apart. In this admir- 
able position, Santa Anna had placed an army four- 
teen thousand strong; its two extremities resting on 
these fortified structures, and his centre protected 
by a heavy battery. This force, stretching four hun- 
dred yards, from building to building, broken by only 
the field battery in the centre, presented an imposing 
appearance. 

Thus stood mattere on the Yth, when the armistice 
was broken off. Mr. Trist had demanded all that 
disputed country between Kueces and the Rio Grande, 
the whole of New Mexico and upper and lower Cali- 
fornia. The Mexican commissioners presented a 
counter j^i'^-^ject, differing widely from this basis. 
After much discussion, however, they acceded to 
all Mr. Trist's claims, with the exception of ceding 
the south part of New Mexico to the United States.'-^ 

* They refused to cede the territory between Nueces and the Rio 
Grande ; but were willing it should remain unoccupied by either na- 
tion — neutral territory. 

8 



134 WI^vFIELD SCOTT. 

By what process the administration obtained a right 
to this territory has not yet transpired nnless by 
right of conquest, which from the first was dischTimed. 
Scott perhaps might have submitted to this trifling a 
little longer, had not the representatives of Mexico, 
Jalisco and Zacatecas issued a protest against the 
negociations and the secretary of state, a circular to 
the states of Puebla and Mexico, calling for a levy 
en masse^ " in order that they may attack and harass 
the enemy with whatever weapons each may con- 
veniently procure, whether good or bad, by fire or 
sword, and by every practicable means which it is 
possible to employ, in the annihilating of an invading 
army." It was evidently high time that Scott was 
bestirring himself; and luckily for the army Mr. 
Trist had the good sense to see the unbounded folly 
of the administration, and to fall in with the views 
of the commander-in-chief. This was a catastrophe 
that had not been looked for at home, and completed 
the political blunder, out of which had grown such a 
terrible tragedy. 

On the 7th of September, Scott had resolved to 
storm the city of Mexico, and make peace within its 
walls. 

BATTLE OF MOLINO DEL EEY, 

But Chapultepec, with its strong defeiices, must 
first be carried. Preparatory to the final movement 



MOLING DEL R]!:Y. 10 J 

on tlie liclglits and castle, _ it was necessary to de- 
molish Santa Anna, with his fourteen thousand men 
at the base. General Worth was appointed on this 
perilous enterprise, and whether his reconnaissance 
could not have been more thorough than it was, or 
wdiether he unfortunately considered it complete 
and satisfactory, at all events he was ignorant of the 
true strength of the position, until his torn and 
mangled division revealed it to him. It was a des- 
perate undertaking to attonpt, in broad daylight, 
with a little over three thousand men, to carry those 
stone buildings, batteries, and all, defended by four- 
teen thousand troops. But Worth, like Murat, 
rarely counted his foes, and on the night of the 7th 
divided his force into three columns, with a reserve 
under Cadwallader, to act where it should be most 
needed. The right column, under Garland, received 
orders to march on the mill. A storming party of 
only five hundred men, commanded by Major 
Wright, was to commence the attack by falling sud- 
denly on the field battery in \\\q, centre, while tlie 
2d brigade, under M'Intosh, was to move on Casa 
de Mata. 

Sunmer, with his dragoons, hovered on the Ame- 
rican left. Scott had given orders to have the 
attack made if possible before daylight. Tliis, how- 
ever, was not done, although the columns were in 
motion by three o'clock in the morning. Captain 



136 ■WINFIELD SCOTT. 

Hugerbad been directed to place liis battery of twen- 
tv-fonr pounders, so as to cover Garband's advance, 
and divert tbe fire from tbe batteries of Cbapnlte- 
j)ec. As soon as dayligbt sulficiently revealed 
objects, be commenced a terrible cannonade on tbe 
mill. His beavy sbot tore tbrongb its solid walls 
witb such effect, tbat tbe position was soon sbaken. 
Tbe storming party, under Major "VVrigbt, tben 
dasbed forward on tbe field battery. Midway tbey 
were met by a most borrible and destructive fire 
from tbe artillery. Taking it witliout liincbing, tbey 
witb sbouts pressed forward and actually carried tbe 
battery. Tbe enemy seeing witb amazement wbat 
a bandful of men were in tbeir midst, rallied, and 
by tbe mere weiglit of tbeir masses, forced tbis gal- 
lant little band back. In a moment tbe wbole line 
of infantry poured in tbeir volleys, and for an instant 
it seemed as if tbe eartb bad swallowed up every 
man. Eleven^ out of the fourteen officers wbo com- 
manded it, were sbot down, and tbe stunned and 
sbattered column, staggered back. But disdaining 
to be tbe first of all tbat noble army to fly, it stood 
and bled on tbe field it could not win, till Captain 
Kirby Smitb, witb a ligbt battalion, and part of 
Cadwallader's brigade, came to tbe rescue. Tbe 
two forces joined witb sbouts and bastily forming, 
drove witb resistless power on tbe battery, and took 
it. Tbe Mexican line was tbus severed, and tbe 



gajiland's cuaege. 137 

battle resolved itself into two distinct actions 
around the two buildings. Garland's column now 
took up its march, for the mill, wdiich seemed on tire 
from the blaze of its own guns. That fearless and 
fiery artillerist, Captain Drum, with two pieces, 
moved at its head, while above them the twenty- 
four pound shot of Magruder, swept with fearful 
accuracy on the building. The huge black balls 
could be traced in their iiight, and the dull heavy 
sound of their concussion was heard even amid the 
deafening explosions that shook the field. Drum 
seemed to bear a charmed life, and moved amid his 
guns with a buoyancy and excitement that presented 
a strange contrast to the carnage around him. The 
advance was slow and toilsome, for that slight bat- 
tery had to contend against overw^helming odds, 
and its j^rogress guaged the progress of the col- 
umn. Covering the infantry, it had to make a path 
for it to the very walls of the mill. Garland cheer- 
ing on his troops, watched with the deepest anxiety 
the effect of its fire, for should it be silenced, he 
would be compelled to march over the wreck of his 
guns and push the naked, uncovered head of his col- 
umn sternly up to the very muzzles of the Mexican 
cannon, or retreat. He did not mean that any con- 
tingency should force him to the latter alternative, 
for i^hen the moment of decision arrived, he had re- 
solved to charge with the bayonet over barricades, 



138 WINFIELD SCOTT. 

guns, gunners, and all. At lengtli weaned witli the 
eifort to cany forward Ins column in the face of such 
a destructive fire, he, while Drum w^as advancing his 
pieces, called a drummer, and -bade him set down 
his drum as a seat on which he could for a moment 
rest. At the instant a grape shot struck the cap 
from his head. Had he been standing erect, it would 
have passed through his body, and one more name 
been added to the long list of heroes whose bones 
repose in the plains of Mexico. 

At length, under the concentrated and overwhelm- 
ing fire of the Mexican batteries, every gunner be- 
longing to Drum's pieces was killed or w^ounded. 
lie then called on the infantry to supply their j^laces, 
but not a man would give up his musket. Tlirough 
fire and blood he had toiled his way to the spot 
where the bayonet must decide the conflict, and he 
would not yield his weapon at the moment he most 
needed it. But those guns must be served, for every 
shot was worth a regiment of men in demolishing 
the defences before them. They were, at length, 
rolled to within a hundred yards of the Mexican 
batteries, where they played with a rapidity and 
power nothing could withstand. Yet Avhen they 
reached that fearful proximity, every artillerist he- 
s'lde them was a West Point officer. Seeing the guns 
deserted, and seeing too the vital importance of their 
being steadily worked, these brave and noble young 



THE MIL]. CAIMMKD. 13U 

officers left their commands and turned ^common 
artillerists, under tlie murderous lire tliat had cleared 
every gun of its man. The example told on the 
soldiers. Behind a battery worked by their own 
officers, men will march on death itself; and no 
sooner was the order to charge given, than clearing 
every obstacle that opposed their progress, they 
stormed that mill and its defences with resistless 
valor, and carried them. The Mexicans were driven 
from their stronghold, and the shout jDroclaiming 
another victory rolled up the rocky sides of Chapul- 
tepec. Oil, if the nation knev/ how those "lazy, 
book-educated officers " of West Point led that gal- 
lant little army from victory to victory, they would 
guard this institution and defend its honor with a 
zeal and energy that would palsy the hand lifted 
against it. 

As the fearless Garland listened to the shouts that 
rung from that battered mill-house, he hoped his 
brave troops would never ha\' e another such a task 
assigned them. 

But while the central battery had been carried, 
and the assault on the mill been pressed with such 
resistless vigor, a still more deadly combat had 
raged around the Casa de Mata. The troojos assign- 
ed to the assault of this building did not get under 
way till the sun had reached the horizon. The 
scene which his lio-ht then revealed was sufficient to 



140 WINFIELD SCOTT. 

daunt tlie stoutest heart. The ground leading up 
to tlie huilding, with its bastions and ditches, was 
like a smooth open lawn. Not a tree or shrub fur- 
nished shelter to a storming j^arty. The base of the 
intrenchments was lined with the cactus, whose point- 
ed leaves, tipped with dew, sparkled in the sun- 
beams, appearing like ten times ten thousands 
lance points flashing in the light. Behind them 
full five thousand men stood in battle array, while 
the artillery swept every foot of the smooth green 
Bv/ard. It did not seem possible that troops could 
be carried over that exposed plain in the face of 
such batteries. M'Intosh, however, formed his 
men, and proceeded by Duncan's battery, moved 
boldly towards the building. Dimcan's guns wore 
served with great skill and ctiect, and vomiting 
forth fire and death, steadily advanced. But the 
unsheltered condition of the troops rendered them a 
fair mark for the enemy, while the latter, behind 
ditches and walls, were effectually protected. The 
ranks, however, closed firmly as the grape and 
canister-shot made huge gaps through them. But 
they were fast melting away, and demanded to be 
led to the charge. The command was given. PasL 
Duncan's battery, and over that plain, the madden- 
ed battalions swept like a storm, till they at last 
stood front to front with the enemy. Here they 
were stopped by the strong defences, of which, till 



CASA DE MATA. 141 

then tliey liad been ignorant. In vain tliej made des- 
perate elibrts to push over them against the tremen- 
dous force upon the opposite side — ^to retreat was 
worse than death. The spectacle at this moment 
was frightful. Those brave regiments, without a 
bush to shelter them, standing breast to breast, and 
muzzle to muzzle, with a well sheltered foe out- 
numbering them five to one, was a sight to move 
the bravest heart. Duncan's battery was behind 
them, and could no longer fire, while the enemy's 
artillery kept hurling its loads of grape-shot in their 
midst. Tliere was no cessation to the volleys — ^no 
interval in the explosions. There was no fall- 
i]ig back and rallying to another charge. The 
doomed battalions never shook or faltered, but 
sunk where they stood, unconqnered to the last. 
Thus, for tioo hours did they stand on tliat open field 
withoiit sliriuking. iSTo sucli firing had ever before 
been witnessed in the army. It was one continuous, 
rattling, deafening, thunder-peal, of two hours dura- 
tion. Wrapped in cL^uds of their own making, out 
of which their shouts of defiance rose, the Ameri- 
cans fouglit that hopeless battle with a fury and 
desperation, more than human. The carnage was 
awful. At lengtli their heroic commander was shot 
down. Scott and Waite soon followed him, and the 
ofiicers in command, tired of the murderous work, fell 
back to give room for Duncan's battery to play 



142 ■\VINFIELD SCOTT. 

again J and tliat tliunder-peal was for a moment 
liuslied. 

While these brave men were in the midst of thia 
unparalleled lire, a column of lancers, several thou- 
sand strong, came sweej^ing down, to crush them by a 
sudden charge on their flank. But Duncan, whose 
guns were now idle, saw the storm that was about to 
burst on them, and ordering the horses to his pieces 
swept in a gallop over the field towards the advancing 
column. The moment he got in good grape and 
canister range, he unlimbered and poured in sucli 
a rapid and scourging fire that it wheeled and fled, 
pressed hard by Sumner's cavalry. 

'No sooner did the storming column, by retiring, 
unmask Duncan's guns, than they again opened 
on the building. The troops then rallied ; 
rushed forward and crowding over the ditches, drove 
the enemy before them. Tlie victory was won, but 
alas ! at what a sacrifice. That briglit green sward 
w\as loaded with bodies, and crimson with blood. 
One regiment of six hundred had left nearly every 
other man upon it. As the smoke of battle slowly 
lifted, before the morning sun, those two black and 
battered buildings, around wliich there had been such 
a death struggle, looked strangely grim and savage, 
amid the piles of dead bodies at their base. Brave men 
lay weltering in blood, or reclining on their elbows, 
were faintly calling for help. Hundreds borne on 



THE CAnxAG:^. 143 

litters, or leaning on tlicir coniradoij' sliouklers, as they 
limped slowly away, were seen moving across the 
field. Mangled forms and pallid comitenances met 
tlie beholder at every turn, for in that line of 
four-hundred yards nearly eight hundred American;^ 
had fallen, or one-fourth of the whole division en- 
gaged. Tlie Mexicans had fought desperately. Leon, 
their bravest general, and some of their best officers 
were killed. Scott, as he rode over the field was 
filled with grief at tlie terrible slaughter, by which 
the victory liad been gained. lie had not anticipated 
it, and feared that an earlier attack or a more 
thorough reconnaissance might have prevented it. 
He went into the hospital and visited the wounded, 
and as he saw fifty brave officers lying before him, 
he felt how much he had been weakened. lie had, 
however, a word of encouragement and kindness for 
each. It was his custom as he rode over the field 
of battle to pause and give his canteen to some poor 
Rufterer who stood in greater need than otliers, or 
whisper a promise to a gallant young officer, from 
whose side the red drops were trickling. His care 
of the sick and wounded was of the tenderest kind, 
and those who had gazed with pride and veneration 
on him in battle, loved him as a father, when 
Avounded and suft'ering they saw him stooj)ing over 
tlieir couches in the hospital. 

The base of Chapultepec was now in possession of 



144 AVIXFIELD SCOTT. 

the American army ; but commanded as it was 1)/ 
the guns of the fort, the position could not he held. 
Casa de Mata was, therefore, blown .up, and the mill 
rendered useless. Chapultepec was next to be assailed ; 
and yet, after deducting the sick, wounded, and the 
different garrisons, Scott had a force of but little over 
seven thousand men with which to do it. If he should 
be weakened in proportion to the numbers engaged 
and the difficulties to be encountered, as much as he 
had been at Molino del Key, but a handful of men 
would be left him to conquer Mexico. These repeated 
victories were telling frightfully on that unparalleled 
army, whose fate must be sealed before reinforcements 
could reach it. Nothing can reveal the utter ineffi- 
ciency, nay, downright madness of the administration, 
more than the position of that army at this moment. 
Victorious in every engagement, it now gathered 
around the last great obstacle that lay between it and 
Mexico. The impregnable character of the ibrtress, 
defended as it was by thirty thousand men, and 
covered with heavy artillery, rendered its ca])ture so 
difficult, that in the attempt the army would in all 
probability suffer more severely than in any of the 
battles it had hitherto fought. The most sanguine 
could not expect six thousand un wounded men, even 
if victors, to renniin after the assault. Six thousand 
men, nearly three hundred miles from their shij^s, 
without depots or garrisons on the way, a city of near 



FEKIL OF THE AEMY. 145 

a quarter of a million before them, and defended bj 
twentj-five thousand troops, presented a noble, yet 
fearful spectacle. But who placed them in such a 
perilous position ? By whose neglect was the most 
gallant army that ever trod a battle-field so seriously 
endangered ? Where were the reinforcements that 
should have poured in by thousands long before that; 
little band gathered with undaunted hearts under the 
crags of Chapultepec? The inefficiency of a Com- 
mander-in-chief, unlooked for and overwhelming de- 
feats, disasters growing out of treachery or cowardice, 
may seriously compromise an army, and yet the 
government be blameless. Events that could not be 
foreseen, and hence not be guarded against, might 
leave it involved and reduced, as that under Scott now 
was. With fifty thousand men at his back, he, by his 
inefficiency or mistakes might easily have doTie it. 
But he could not he in the condition he loas^ witJtout 
hlame resting on some one. Neglect on the part of the 
government that was criminal, or blunders on the 
part of the Commander-in-chief almost equally crimi- 
nal, had brought on this crisis. But, did the blame 
rest with Scott? had he lost a battle? had he wantonly 
sacrificed his men ? had his losses been unexpectedly 
large ? had his army been wasted away by neglect of 
the sick and wounded, or want of provisions and care 
for the well? Coidd he, with the means in \\\%2)0we)\ 
have heen letter off than he loas ? Iso 1 Fortunately 



146 WINFIELD SCOTT. 

the facts on tins point are so overwlielining, that every 
man is compelled to answer, No. Every victory but 
one at least, had been purchased at the least possible 
sacrifice. Fortresses had been taken and armies 
beaten at a loss numerically so small as to be almost 
incredible. The skill, genius, and humanity of the 
commander had stood in the place of men. They had 
supplied the want of regiments in every battle. 'No 
other living man could have carried that army so far, 
over so many obstacles, through so many unequal 
conflicts, and yet drawn it up at the base of Chapul- 
tepec so little weakened in numbers or demoralized 
in character. 

The government had no right to expect such re- 
sults — it might as well have based the campaign on 
probable miracles. ISTo, a careful and accurate man, 
one whose judgment could be relied on, would say 
that by the most favorable calculation, Scott could 
not get that army where it was without the loss, in 
killed and wounded, of at least eight thousand men, 
and that loss would have finished him. By the rules 
of every military campaign, he ought to have been 
ruined, and his army annihilated. Tlie country had 
no more right to expect success with such means 
than the French Directory had of Bonaparte, when 
it put him over the half-starved and miserable army 
of Italy. The American army ought, according to 
all reliable rules, to have perished, and nothing but 



rOLITICS m TUE ARilY. 147 

tlie great (qualities of a single man saved it. If it 
had perished, a malediction would liave fallen on 
the administration, which, like "the primal eldest 
curse," would have clung to it for ever. 

These remarks are made in no feeling of party- 
spirit, but the reckless manner in which that army 
was left in the heart of Mexico, demands as a sim- 
ple act of justice condemnation from every man 
who attempts to chronicle its victories. The lives 
of our chivalrous volunteers, our tried regulars, and 
our noble officers, are not thus to be trifled with. 
The army of this Republic is too valual)le to be lost 
in mere political squabbles, or from culpable igno- 
rance. This fact cannot be urged too earnestly on the 
country. The President being the Commander-in- 
chief of all the forces, the army of course is under 
his control. But the President is usually unac- 
cpiainted with military science, and easily yields to 
the suggestions of his friends, or appoints ignorant 
connnanders, or adopts unmilitary plans that are 
certain to bring defeat. His patronage in the army, 
and the political use he can make of it, tempt him to 
many foolish and wicked acts. And even if he ho a 
true patriot like Jefferson, or Madison, he is almost 
sure to err as they did. Madison, in 1812, wished 
to shut up our ships of war, in port, against all the 
remonstrances of their brave commanders. In tliat 
war, success was gained in spite of the administra- 



148 WINI'lELD SCOTT, 

tion. The truth is, in a govenuncnt like ours, where 
the Secretaries of War and Kavj are changed ahnost 
every four years, and those important departmenttj 
become tilled with men from the civil professions; 
who are necessarily ignorant of the duties attached 
to them, they shoidd both, so far as their organiza 
tion and management are concerned, be placed 
under the control of their respective senior com- 
manders. Public opinion should demand this as a 
settled policy, and every deviation of it by either 
party, be denounced and resisted. This political 
intermeddling with the army and navy, for the sake 
of popularity, will yet be visited on the nation witli 
disgrace and defeat. 

Scott, as we have seen, at length stood at the base 
of Chapultepec, with seven thousand men, resolved to 
carry it by storm, and then wheel his conquering 
battalions full on the capital, and beat down its gate* 
while the shouts of victory were still carrying terror 
and dismay into the ranks of the enemy. By the 
1st of September the hill had been boldly and 
thoroughly reconnoitred, every assailable point noted 
down, and the route of the assaulting columns 
marked out. At the same time, to deceive the ene- 
my, and prevent reinforcements from being flung 
into the fortress, he ordered Pillow, Quitman, and 
Twiggs, to advance along the causeway from San 
Antonia, and open their fire on the gates of the city. 



cnAruLTEPEC. 140 

He tluis kept Santa Anna in ignorance of ]ns real 
point of attack, and the latter at once concentrated a 
large force in the city to resist the entrance of the Ame- 
rican troops, whose standards were pointing towards 
its walls. Consternation and dismay reigned amid 
the crowded population ; the streets were throno-ed 
with terror-stricken men and women, who sup- 
posed this terrific cannonading was but the prelude 
to the final assault, and momentarily expected to 
hear the shouts of the Americans as they stormed 
over their defences. 

But as night came on, Quitman and Pillow witli 
their divisions, stole quietly back to Tacubaya, where 
Scott, with Worth's division had established his head- 
quarters. 

BATTLE OF CnAPFLTEPEC. 

All was bustle and preparation at the base of Cha- 
pultepec. Four heavy batteries were planted in 
easy range of the fortress, to be ready by daylight to 
play against its solid sides and upon its frowning 
ramparts. Ko. 1, commanded by Captain Drum, 
was placed within six hundred yards of the castle. 
''No. 2, under Captain Huger took position a little 
farther ofi", while N"os. 3 and 4, commanded by Capt. 
Brock, Lieutenants Anderson and Stone, were placed, 
the former half way between Tacubaya and Molino 
del Key, and the latter near the mill itself. The 



150 WIXFIELD SCOTT. 

object of these Avas to weaken those strong de- 
fences and open up some accessible avenues to the 
assaulting columns. Bj daylight tliey were all 
ready, and the heavy shot of the first gun knocked 
loudly on the portals of that fortress for admission, 
and called the astonished garrison to their pieces. 
In a few moments the whole, composed of eighteen 
and twenty-four j^ounders, and eight inch mortars, 
were in " awful activity," and when the early sun- 
beams gilded the splendid dome that crowned the 
height, they revealed many an ugly rent and ragged 
outline in the massive structure. 

Every shot could be traced in its flight, while its 
heavy concussion sent back the report of its own do- 
ings. Shells rising gracefully out of the smoke, 
swiftly ascended the hill, and hovering a moment 
above the doomed garrison, dropped, blazing within. 
Fragments of wall and timber hurled through the air, 
announced that its work was accomplished. Tlie 
enemy replied with all his heavy artillery, and soon 
the air was black with balls, and above them the 
heavens ablaze with burning shells. At the same 
time, Twiggs was thundering away at the gates of 
the city — explosion answered explosion, till the 
deafening reverberations were sent back from the 
distant Cordilleras. From daylight till dark the 
batteries never ceased playing. Since the army left 
Vera Cruz there had been no such opportunity to 



THE EO^MBAKDMENT. ir>l 

exliibit our artilleiy practice. The way tliose lieavy 
guns were liandled excited the admiration of the 
whole army. As soon as the distance and elevation 
were accurately gained, scarcely a shot was thrown 
away. Every one went with the precision of a rifle 
ball, and passed through and through the walls, 
sin-eading destruction in its path. Scarcely a shell 
wasted its force in the air, but tore up the ramparts 
as it dropped. The garrison, except those necessary 
to man the guns, were driven from the works by this 
incessant and deadly firing, and remained outside, 
towards the city. Here they stood to arms all day, 
ready the moment the firing ceased to return and re- 
pel the assault. At nightfall, Scott seeing that the 
fortress was severely shaken, prepared to storm it 
in the morning. -That was a busy night, and but 
little sleep visited either officers or men, and by 
daylight on the morning of the 13th the separate 
. divisions were all in their places. Scott had resolved 
to storm the heights in two columns — one, com- 
manded by Pillow, was to advance on the west side ; 
the other, by Quitman, on the southeast, each preced- 
ed by two hundred and fifty picked men. Worth's 
division received orders to act as a reserve, while 
Twiggs, away from the scene of action, was to keep 
playing on the gates of the city, and thus compel 
the portion of the enemy's army concentrated there 
to remain on the defensive. At daylight the Ameri- 



152 WINFIELD SCOTT. 

can batteries again opened tlicir lire, and again tlie 
massive columns witliin tlie fortress were driven out. 
It was known tlu'oughont tlie army that the cessa- 
tion of the cannonading was to be the signal of as- 
sault. Every ear was therefore turned to catch the 
first lull in that incessant uproar, and every heart 
beat cpiicker as each explosion promised to be tlio 
last. But as hour after hour passed on, and the bat- 
teries still kept thundering on the heights, the im- 
patience of officers and men threatened to over-leap 
all bounds. 

At length Scott sent word that the signal would 
soon be given, and at nine the sudden silence of tlie 
batteries announced that the hour had come. " For- 
ward," passed through the ranks, and those intrepid 
columns began the ascent. The moment they were 
in motion the batteries again opened, and canopied 
them with shots and shells, that went before to open 
the path to victory, and keep back tlie reinforce- 
ments without. Pillow's column entered the forest, 
Avhicli was in a blaze from the sharpshooters that 
filled it, and sweeping it of the enemy, emerged 
on to the open ground, and under a rocky height. 
Here Pillow fell, and the command devolved on 
the brave Cadwallader, who shouted "forward" to 
that eager column, and it streamed up the rock, 
taking the destructive volleys that thinned their 
ranks, without flinching. Half way bet\v^een it and 



THE ASSAULT. 153 

the castle walls stood a strong redouLt, whose bat- 
teries played with deadly etfect on its uncovered 
head. The ground that intervened was broken by 
chasms and rocks, over which the troops slowly 
made their difficult way, tiring as they went. The 
rapid and fatal volleys of the two hundred and lifty 
men that moved in advance, swept everything 
down, and onward firmly and irresistibly crept the 
column. Reaching the redoubt in which mines had 
been placed to blow up the victors, they carried it in 
one swift and terrible charge. So sudden and ra])id 
was the onset, and so complete the overthrow, that 
the enemy had no time to fire his mines, and those 
who attempted it were shot down. "There was 
death below as well as above ground," but nothing 
could resist the progress of that heroic column. Leav- 
ing that redoubt behind, it marched straight on the 
walls of the castle. Scott watched its advance through 
fire and smoke, with an anxious heart, till it at length 
reached the ditch. The spectacle it presented at this 
moment aroused all the latent fire of his nature. 
Halting a moment till the ditch could be filled with 
tascines, and the scaling ladders applied to the walls, 
it sternly stood, and melted away under the fire of 
the enemy. At length the chasm was bridged when 
the troops streamed over with shouts, and in a mo- 
ment the ladders were bending under the weight of 
those who seemed eager to be the first in the portals of 



15-1 WmFIELD SCOTT. 

death. Pierced with balls or bayonets, the leaders 
fell back dead upon theh' comrades, but nothing 
could check the ardor of those that followed after. 
Bearing back by main force those that opposed 
their ascent, they climbed to the top, made a lodg- 
ment, and sent up a thrilling shout. " Streams of 
heroes followed," sweeping like a sudden inundation 
over the walls. Cheer after cheer arose from tlie 
ramparts ; flag after flag was flung out from the up- 
per walls, carrying " dismay into the capital." 

Quitman, in tlie meantime, had made his way to 
the southeast walls, but being compelled to advance 
along a causeway, defended by artillery and in- 
fantry, he was delayed in carrying them till the 
routed enemy above came on him in crowds. The 
troops turned on those with relentless fnry. Re- 
membering their brave comrades at Molino del Rey, 
to whom no quarter was given, they mowed the 
Mexicans down without mercy. The New York, 
South Carolina, and Pennsylvania volunteers, how- 
ever, by crossing a meadow, under a tremendous 
Are, and mounting swiftly to the castle, were in time 
for the assault. A detachment of New York volun- 
teers, under Lieutenant Ried, and another of 2d in- 
fantry, led by Lieutenant Steele, were foremost on the 
ramparts. The former, cheering his men on, was 
the first to scale the heights and the wall. Lie was 
at length wounded, but refusing to retire, limped on 



HIS IIUMAXITY. 155 

liis way, fidvancing still higher and higher towards 
the Mexican banner that waved above him. At 
length he reached it, and tearing it down with his 
own hands, fainted beside it. It was gallantly, 
nobly done. 

The spectacle presented to Scott as he turned with 
his staif to ascend the hill filled his heart watli joy 
and exultation. Those walls and ramparts Avliich a 
few hours before bristled with the enemy's cannon, 
were now black with men, and fluttering with colors 
of his own regiments, while a perfect storm of hur- 
rahs, and cheers rolled towards heaven. As he passed 
up he saw his troops shooting down the helpless fu- 
gitives without mercy. He could not blame them, 
for he knew they were avenging the death of their 
brave comrades, to whom no mercy was shown at 
Molino del Key, but unable to endure the inhuman 
spectacle, he rode up to the excited troops, and ex- 
claimed, " Soldiers, deeds like yours are recorded in 
history. Be humane and generous^ my hoys, as you 
are mctorious, and I will yet down, on my hended 
hiees to God for you, to-nkjMP l^oble and elo- 
quent words, which immediately found a response 
in those brave hearts. Mercy blended with strength 
is ever beautiful. 

As he reined up on the summit in the view of all, 
the very hill shook under their acclamations. It 
"was a time for exultation to him, and he shared in 



15G WINFIELD SCOTT. 

the liigli eiitliuslasm of his trooj^s. lie had conquer- 
ed — the day begun in anxiety was ending in glorj. 
The capital was at his mercy, and as he stood on 
the top of that castle and looked off on the domes 
and towers of the city crowded with spectators, and 
down on the fugitive army fleeing towards its walls 
for shelter, he resolved at once to march on the gates 
and carry them by storm. Two causeways starting 
from the base of the hill, diverged as they crossed 
the marsh, and again contracted in approaching the 
city. Over these the Mexican host was streaming, 
infantry and artillery in wild confusion, pressed hard 
after by Worth and Quitman. But arches and gate- 
ways occurring at intervals, presented points for 
making vigorous stands against their advance, so 
that the battle had only rolled down the hill — • 
not ended. 

Behind these, the Mexicans again and again ral- 
lied and fought bravely. Fighting under the walls 
of their capital, they struggled desperately to save 
it from becoming the spoil of the victor. Worth 
pressed fiercely against tlie column before him, 
toward the San Cosmo gate, while Quitman was 
forcing his way along the San Belen aqueduct. 
To a spectator from the top of Chapultei:)ec, the 
scene below at this time was indescribably fearful. 
Tlie Americans appeared like a mere handful amid 
the vast crowds that darkened the causeways in 



STORMING TIIE CITY. 157 

front of tliem. Bat the clouds of smoke that wrapped 
the head of each column and the incessant explo- 
sions of cannon, revealed where the American artil- 
lery was sternly mowing a path through the swaying 
masses for the victorious troops behind. The living 
parapets were constantly falling along the edges of 
those causeways, while the shouts and yells of the 
struggling thousands rose up from the mingled din 
and crash of arms like the cries of a drowning mul- 
titude, heard amid the roar of the storm. Scott 
surveyed at a glance this wild scene and seeing 
what tremendous odds his brave troops below were 
contending against, hurried up reinforcements to 
their help. Officers were seen swiftly galloping 
from division to division, and soon Clarke's and 
Cadwallader's brigades moved rapidly over one 
causeway to the help of Worth, while that of Pierce 
took the other, on which Quitman was struggling. 
Crushing every obstacle in their j)ath, those columns 
slowly, but steadily advanced. As they came near 
the city where the causeways again approached each 
other. Worth sent an aid-de-camp to Scott, beggiiig 
that Quitman might cease firing on the Belen gate, 
and turn his artillery on the column he was pushing 
before him. A few raking discharges on its flank, 
would have rent it into fragments. Scott knowing 
that the San Cosmo gate presented the weakest de- 
fences, had determined to enter by it, and sent word 
9 



158 WINFIELD SCOTT. 

again and again to Qnitman to employ the en'^^my, 
rather than attempt to force the Bel en gate. But 
that brave officer had remained in idleness at San 
Angnstine long enongh, while the rest of the army 
was covering itself with laurels. The opportunity 
given him in the morning was bereft of half its 
value by the necessary delay of his column, till the 
castle was carried ; and he was resolved that he would 
not be second in that last crowning battle. Worth's 
victorious division should not open the gates for 
him from within, and through the deadly fires that 
smote him both from front and flank batteries, over 
every obstacle that opposed his progress, he still urged 
on his bleeding column till the gate was reached, 
when the gallant rifles dashed forward with a loud 
shout and carried it. -The entrance was won and 
Quitman stood within the city. Here he stubbornly 
maintained his position from 2 o'clock in the after- 
noon till night, under a galling fire from the guns of 
the citadel. Defences w^ere thrown up to shelter 
his valiant corps as much as possible from it, and he 
waited patientl}^ till daylight should appear. He 
had lost some of his best troops, and among them 
those noble officers. Captain Drum, and Lieutenant 
Benjamin. 

Worth, in the meantime, had advanced steadily 
towards the San Cosmo gate. Scott, after having 
seen to the prisoners of war and the wounded, has- 
tened down the hill of Chapultepec and joined him 



QUITMAN WITHIN. 159 

ill tlie hottest of tlie fire. Here, while in the act of 
handing an order to an officer, the horse of the lat- 
ter was shot by his side. After giving directions to 
Worth, he returned to the foot of Chapultepec, and 
taking his station where the two causeways parted, 
directed the movements of both colnmns and sent 
forward help where it was most needed. By 
8 o'clock, Worth was in the suburbs, and there, 
around two batteries which he had carried, rested 
his exhausted troops for the night. 

Another night had come, giving repose to the 
weary soldier. The tumult and carnage of the day 
had ceased, and silence rested on the city, and our 
army under its walls. Quitman's troops sleeping in 
heaps under the arches of the causeway, and Worth's 
by the San Cosmo gate, presented a striking contrast 
to these same soldiers a few hours before. What a 
day's march that army had made, and what a track 
it had left behind it. Two paths, lined with the 
dead, marked its passage up the slippery heights of 
Chapultepec — scattered masses of the slain showed 
where the tumultuous flight and headlong pursuit 
had swept like a loosened flood down the slope, while 
the two causeways shattered and blackened, and 
streaked with blood, revealed the course its fiery 
footsteps had last taken in the road to victory. 
Nearly nine hundred of the Americans had been 
killed or wounded, while the Mexican dead lay in 
uncounted heaps on every side. 



160 ■WINFIELD SCOTT. 

It was an evening of rejoicing in that victo- 
rions army, but hundreds were writhing in suiFer- 
ing, and many a gaUant spirit that at morning had 
seen glory and promotion before it, was now swiftly 
passing to that still land, where warrior and war- 
horse are seen no more. To them the joy and en- 
thusiasm on every side, added but more sorrowful 
regrets for all they had lost. Through so many 
perils they had moved in safety, to sink at last at 
the end of the race. . Oh, how earthly glory fades 
at such a moment. Leaving aside the freezing spec- 
tacle of heaps of mutilated corpses — the gliastly 
wounds and moans of the sufferers, if those who 
slowly die after the battle is over, and its excite- 
ment has passed away, could tell us all their mental 
' suffering — ^breathe into our ear their extinguished 
hopes — their vanished dreams of glory — let us see the 
inward scalding tears that drop over the absent loved 
and lost for ever — the sudden waking of conscience 
to a squandered life, and the anxious piercing glance 
into the dark unknown, whose shadows are slowly 
closing round the spirit, war would seem the saddest 
thing on earth. It is a blot on the race, and its evils 
cannot be magnified. But these evils, great as they 
are, do not lessen its necessity. "While the world is 
governed by physical power, truth and jiistice will 
be compelled to resort to the sword to maintain their 
rights, aye, to defend their very existence. Besides, 



EEFUSES TER:\IS TO SANTA ANNA. 101 

death is the same, wlietlierit comes on tlie battle-field, 
or sinking wreck, or amid the storm, or earthquake. 
A course of action is to be judged, not by the sutiering 
attending it, but by the principles which govern and 
control it. That the Mexican war was forced on the 
country, without sufficient provocation, and secured 
nothing in comparison to the sacrifice it cost, few 
will doubt. The opinion of tlie world may be 
swayed, but the authors of that war will have a dif- 
ficult task to sway the calm verdict of eternal truth 
and justice. 

Many ofiicers in the army, and the noble Com- 
mander-in-chief himself, felt the want of that support 
which the consciousness of a good cause gives to the 
true soldier. 

" Thrice is he armed that hath his quarrel just." 

The morning of the 1-lth of September had not yet 
fully dawned when the army was in motion. A 
deputation from the city council in the mean time 
waited on the Commander-in-chief, announcing that 
Santa Anna, with the remnant of his army, had fled 
the city, and demanded " terms of capitulation in 
favor of the church, city, and the municipal autho- 
rities." Scott refused to grant any terms ; the city 
was in his power ; he was resolved to enter it sword 
in hand, and plant his triumphant batineron its walls 
by the right of conqliest alone. 



162 WINFIELD SCOTT. 

Santa Anna, seeing that the capital was lost, bad 
sent to him the night before, asking what terms he 
required. The latter curtlj replied, that he had no 
answer to give, and no questions to ask. 

Slowly and cautiously, to guard against treachery, 
the columns proceeded in the early dawn towards the 
great public square. Quitman's division first ap- 
proached it, and his troops, rushing with shouts upon 
it, hoisted their flag on the walls of the JSTational 
Palace. Worth's division followed, and that little 
army of six thousand men stood in the heart of the 
capital, while long and deafening shouts proclaimed 
the joy of the conquerors. About nine o'clock a 
sudden bustle was seen in one corner of the square 
to which one of the streets led, and the next moment 
a long, loud hurrah broke forth. The troops had 
caught sight of the waving plumes and towering form 
of their Commander, slowly advancing in the midst of 
a body of cavalry. As he entered the plaza, the whole 
army shouted as one man. Again and again that 
loud, frenzied hurrah swelled over the city, and swords 
flashed in the air, and caps waved, and drums rolled. 
It was a wild, enthusiastic welcome, worthy of their 
chief, and his eye kindled with emotion. 

In a short time, however, a heavy volley of musketry 
was poured into the troops, dropping men who had 
passed unscathed the carnage of the day before. 
Some two thousand liberated convicts had armed 



THE ARMY IN THE CAPITAL. 163 

themselves, and with as many soldiers, commenced 
firing on the Americans from the flat roofs of the 
houses, from the windows, and the corners of the 
sti'eets. Garland was wounded in endeavoring to 
disperse the assailants, and it was not till after twenty- 
four hours of toil that these miscreants were at length 
caught or scattered. 

Tranquillity being restored, Scott levied a contribu- 
tion on the city, and organized a temporary govern- 
ment. His army of six thousand men appeared a mere 
handful in that spacious square, where Santa Anna, 
a few hours before, had manoeuvred thirty thousand. 
But there was a grandeur about it as it stood up in the 
heart of that great city, surrounded with the memories 
of so many victories, and presenting in itself the em- 
bodiment of so much power. That vast po]3ulation 
might apparently rush upon it and crush it by the 
mere weight of their masses, yet there it stood, awing 
all by the terror of its name. The Mexicans gazed 
upon it in amazement. Since its conquering feet had 
been placed on their territory, it had taken twelve 
thousand prisoners, killed and wounded nearly ten 
thousand men, and captured colors and standards 
innumerable, together with more than seven hundred 
pieces of artillery, more than thirty thousand small 
arms, and shot and shells and munitions of war with- 
out end. In its very last onset it had trampled under 
foot thirty thousand men, defended by castle walls, 



iG4 WINFIELD SCOTT. 

iutrencliments, and Leav}^ ai'tillerj. Scoffing at nnra- 
LerSj defjing obstacles, it had moved on its victorious 
course with resistless power. Eeduced it indeed was, 
but its adamantine columns stood firm as ever. The 
mere mention of the numbers captured and slain and 
wounded bj it astounds one. The bare statistics 
sound like the fabulous deeds of some hero of romance. 
Never had so small an army so much glorj to divide 
among its numbers. Proud of their renown and their 
leader's praise, thej^ cheerfully obeyed his commands, 
and abstained from all those acts of violence and 
oppression which a conquering army in the heart of a 
city that has cost it such a sacrifice, feels it has a 
right to commit. Property and life were protected, 
and the inhabitants settled down into a feeling of 
security and peace, to which, under their own rulers, 
they had for years been strangers. The humblest 
individual could come to General Scott with his 
complaint, sure of receiving justice and protection. 
That army, whose name had carried terror into all 
hearts, was soon looked upon as the guarantee of 
their rights and the enjoyment of their social bless- 
ings. The Mexicans could not understand how such 
ferocious men in battle, such fire-eaters when raging 
amid their foes, could be so quiet in their deportment, 
so kind in their ways, and generous in their conduct. 
Scott, whose name had never been uttered without a 
shudder of fear, was ])cloved us their best protector 



AS A ETTLER. 165 

and friend, and tliej sat down under liis mild but 
firm sway in perfect contentment. 

But in the midst of liis duties, on the very theatre 
of his exploits, surrounded by the battle-fields where 
he had ever been victorious, he was dragged before 
a court of inquiry to answ^er groundless charges pre- 
ferred against him. i^ay, his command was taken 
from him and given to another. 

We have seen that from the commencement of 
the war the administration had heaped blunder on 
blunder, as if on purpose to keej) up a contrast be- 
tween itself and the army, and thus let the latter 
have all the glory. The very eiforts to injure Scott 
had turned out blunders ; they had reacted like 
" curses that come home to roost." It had, therefore, 
resolved on open attack ; the veteran of threescore, 
covered w^ith laurels should be disgraced, and tried as 
a criminal on the very spot wdiere he had triumphed. 
Tlie Mexicans could not understand this. There was 
a cold-blooded hatred about it that seemed in their 
eyes to foretell his certain ruin. Yery probably it 
was this that induced them to believe he might be 
persuaded to remain in their midst, and prompted 
the offer of the presidency with a salary of two hun- 
dred thousand dollars per annum. Tlie army seemed 
to worship him, and tliey had no doubt would 
cheerfully share his fortunes. 

The troops were indignant at the treatment of 



166 WINFIELD SCOTT. 

tlieir commander, and hailed him with shouts when- 
ever he ax^peared. One day they marched in front 
of the house he occupied, and would not be satisfied 
until he appeared on the balcony. The cheering 
that followed convinced the Mexican authorities 
that Scott had issued a pronunciamento, and they 
called upon him to ascertain the fact, and treat at 
once with him instead of the United States govern- 
ment. He, however, undeceived them ; told them 
the Americans were law-abiding men ; that the 
president was commander-in-chief of the whole 
army, and the commanding-general was therefore 
bound to obey his orders. 

They went away disappointed and puzzled. How 
a man, apparently disgraced by his government, 
could so quietly submit, when he evidently had 
power to do otherwise, was so contrary to the course 
their own commanders pursued, that they could not 
comprehend it. 

It was with a sad heart Scott took leave of that 
gallant a,rmy, in whose midst he had marched to so 
many victories. A common danger, common toils, 
and hardships, had endeared them to him. Their 
unbounded devotion to his person, and the bravery 
and daring with which they had fulfilled all his 
orders ; tlieir patience under privations, humanity 
in the hour of victory, and peaceful obedience in the 
heart of a great city, around whose walls they had 



AEKIVES IN NEW YORK. 167 

shed their Tdoocl, had bound them to him by a tie 
strong and tender. 

It was a rutliless blow that severed it. But the 
deed was done, and the faithful servant of his 
country, the peerless chieftain, shorn of his com- 
mand, turned his footsteps homeward. And when, 
from the summit of the Cordilleras, where a few 
weeks before he gazed down on the plains below, he 
turned to take a farewell look of the fields of his 
fame, sad, bitter thoughts mingled with glorious re- 
membrance. 

Through the cities which he had conquered, down 
the steeps of Cerro Gordo, still blackened with the 
smoke of his cannon, he continued his way, and at 
last entered Yera Cruz, more as a prisoner than a 
conqueror. Here a large and commodious vessel, 
direct for jSTew Orleans, was offered him. But with 
that magnanimity and self-forgetfulness, which have 
always characterized him, he refused, saying, " JSTo, 
my soldiers will soon be liere and will need it," and 
taking a brig he set sail for JSTew York. Tlie vessel 
was crowded with sick and disabled men, and worn 
down by the incessant fetigue of the past six months, 
he himself was soon attacked by a disease that well 
nigh carried him to his grave. Weary and sick, ho 
at length reached the harbor of Xew York, and with- 
out stopping to receive the congratulations of the 
city, passed on to his residence in Elizabethtown. 



168 WINFIELD SCOTT. 

Tliis sliunning tlie presence of his coimtiymen, as 
thougli lie suspected them of sharing the feelings of 
the administration, cut them to the heart,- and they re- 
solved to give him a manifestation of their love, which 
could not be misunderstood. A day was appointed 
for a public reception in oSTew York, so that the peo- 
ple could render their verdict on his conduct. He 
landed amid salvos of artillery, and escorted by the 
entire military force of the city, passed through its 
principal streets. The public buildings were deco- 
rated with flags — every window was crowded with 
sjiectators waving their handkerchiefs, and the streets 
from limit to limit thronged with the tens of thous- 
ands who strove to catch a glimpse of the man who 
had wi'oughtsuch wonders, and covered his country's 
flag with such unfading glory. As he rode slowly 
along a shout that shook the city arose around him. 
The ijeo^le were speaking. Party feeling was for- 
gotten, and the animosities of factions were buried 
under the boundless enthusiasm that burst forth on 
every side. The hero had been brought home to be 
disgraced, and the people were croiomng him. His 
gallant heart was to be irritated and annoyed by 
petty accusations and fault-findings, and lo the 
thundering shout of " All Hail to the Chief," that 
rolled over the land, frightened his persecutors from 
their cowardly purpose. Haman, was that day 
doomed to witness the triumph of the man he had 



HIS CHARACTER. 169 

doomed to infamy, and liang on tlie gallows he liad 
reared for another. Tlie heart of this re.pnblic is 
sound, whatever its judgment may be. 

General Scott is now the Whig candidate for the 
Presidency. 

Tlie most striking points of General Scott's char- 
acter stand out in hold relief. In so long and event- 
ful a career, a man's character cannot be concealed. 
His actions reveal it. Probably a more fearless man 
never lived. Like Bonaparte, he may be irritated 
and disturbed by trifles,but danger always tranquilizes 
him. Tliose who have been with him most, say that 
in the moment of greatest peril, his lip w^ears its 
serenest expression. It is in the thunder crash of 
battle, and when the brave battalions are linked in 
deadliest combat that his heart beats calmest. It is 
a little singular that the greatest warriors (not merely 
desperate fighters, but men fit to be leaders of 
armies) have been distinguished for more than 
ordinary humanity, and tenderness of feeling. 

Murat, whose natural element seemed the smoke 
and carnage of battle, never drew his sword in com- 
bat, lest he should slay some one. Ney, who moved 
amid death like one above its power, was as simple 
and tender as a child. The same is true of Scott. 
The sick and the distressed have not merely command- 
ed his synqxtthy but he has again and again risked 
his life to succor them. Stern, nay, almost tyrannical, 



ITO WINFIELT) SCOTT. 

as a disciplinarian, liis lieart as a man is filled witli all 
generous amotions. He was in New York at the time 
of the Astor Place riot, and within hearing of the fir- 
ing. As his practiced ear caught the regular volleys of 
the soldiers, he wrung his hands and walked the room 
in an agony of excitement, exclaiming, " tltey are 
firing 'volleys, they are shooting down citizensy — 
What an apj^arently strange contradiction. This 
man, whose nerves seemed made of iron in battle 
and who had galloped with the joy of the war- 
rior for hours, amid a hail-storm of bullets, could not 
control his feeling when he knew the blood of 
American citizens was flowing in the streets of JSTew 
York. But in the one case he acted as a commander 
whose business it was to conquer; while here he was 
a man feeling for his fellow man. That burst of feel- 
ing did him more honor than the greatest victory he 
ever gained. 

Scott is also distinguished for great tenacity of 
purpose. "What he has once resolved uj)on, he can- 
not relinquish. As he said, he never puts one foot 
forward without designing to bring the other up to 
it. The desperate manner in which he clung to the 
height at Lundy's Lane — charging like fire, when, 
but a quarter of his brigade was left, and crying 
out, as mangled and bleeding, he was borne from 
the field, " Charge again,'''' reveal a strength and 
firmness of will, that no earthly power can shake. 



HIS CHAKACTER. 171 

Sucli a man is hard to beat. As a military cliieftain, 
lie probably lias no superior, if erpial, in tbe world. 
Place a hundred and fifty thousand American troops, 
drilled under his own supervision, in his hands, and 
the miracles of ISTajioleon would be wrought over 
again. He possesses all the qualities necessary 
to make a great commander. Courage, coolness in 
the hour of danger, fertility of resources, extensive 
yet rapid combination, the power of covering a vast 
field ©f operations, yet losing none of its details, per- 
fect control over his troops, tireless energy, and great 
humanity, combine in him, as they are rarely found 
in any man. Success cannot intoxicate him, nor de- 
feat enervate him. Tempted by no sudden stroke of 
good fortune into rashness, he cannot be made listless 
by disappointment. A less nicely balanced character 
would never have carried us safely through the diffi- 
culties on our northern frontier. 

His life is singularly clear of moral blemishes. 
ISToble and confiding, he has often been wronged, yet 
he never could be forced into low retaliation or soured 
into distrust of his fellow-man. While in Mexico, a 
friend warned him against an officer, whom he sus- 
pected of being an enemy in disguise. " I cannot 
help it," said the General. " It has all my life been 
a positive luxury to me to confide in my fellow-man, 
and rather than give it up, I should jirefer being 
stabbed under the fifth rib daily." The temptations 



172 AVINFIELD SCOTT. 

which surround elevation to rank and power have 
never corrnpted him ; and ho is, at this day, as firm 
a friend of religion, temperance, and all the moral 
virtues, as though his life had been devoted solely to 
their inculcation. It is rare to see a long and public 
career so unstained by any vice. 

The most severe and fiery trial to wliicli a man in 
this country can bo subjected, is to be a candidate 
for the highest office in the republic. Yet from 
even this, whether successful or unsuccessful, he will 
come out unscathed. ]N^ot a charge that could aftect 
the love and confidence of his countrymen will be 
fastened on him. The only two accusations made 
against him worthy of notice are, that he is dicta- 
toral, and vain ; and particular, and exacting about 
mere trifies. A dictatorial manner is almost inevi- 
tably attached to one wdio has always been accus- 
tomed to command. If self-conceit in him amounts 
to a fault, that fault never had a better or more sat- 
isfactory excuse. The latter defect, as it is termed, 
on which so many changes have been rung, is one of 
the most valuable elements in his character. It is 
the importance he places on details that makes his 
army so complete in all its departments and so like 
a single instrument in his hand. Knowing every- 
thing from the greatest to the least, he is accpiainted 
with all his resources, and hence does not attempt 
what he cannot carry out. 



HIS CIIAKAOTER. 1 ( 3 

It was liis liabit in Mexico to require the attend- 
ance of tlie cliiefs of every dejyartment^ every even- 
ing at liis quarters, where he interrogated and con- 
versed about their individual matters. From the 
quartermaster, he learned everything relating to 
hospitals, quarters, forage, trains, horses, paclc mules, 
moneys in hand for fnture use, ifec. &c. ; from the 
commissary, he found out the resources of the coun- 
try for provisions, the quantity in store, the means 
of transportation, the expectations beyond, as the 
country developed itself; from the medical chief he 
invariably knew of the health of the command, of 
the wounded, of the number of deaths, of the sup- 
ply of medicines, and the due attendance of a suffi- 
cient corps of surgeons at the hospitals, while from 
the general officers he knew even to the most trifling 
details of the regiments and corps. There was an 
officer appointed to a new regiment, as colonel, who 
had large influence withal as a politician, and who 
came out opposed to General Scott politically and 
otherwise. At Jalapa, he called to see him, and 
when he left headquarters, he was amazed at the 
information in small matters that the general had at 
hand, " "Why," said he, " he verifies the stories of 
Napoleon." 

Those who carp about j^articularity in small matters, 
should remember what grand results they have 
accomplished ; and they should remember, too, that 



174 WINFIELD SCOTT. 

tbis habit of sncb vital importance to a commander, 
like all other "babits, cannot be put on and off at plea- 
sure. It may exhibit itself in matters wholly unim- 
portant, and a person witnessing it in one of such re- 
nown, will be amazed, forgetting entirely out of what 
a great basis it sprung. " The world is made up of 
little things," is a favorite maxim with him; and the 
rigidity with wbich he enforced it in every depart- 
ment, alone saved the army in Mexico. 

" Republics," it is said, " are ungrateful," but 
posterity is just, and history eventually impartial.* 



" Headquarters 
National Palace oi' Mexico. 



OF THE Army. ) 
,Sept. 18, 1847. J 



" Sir : — At tbe end of anotber series of arduous and 
brilliant operations of more tban forty-eigbt bours' 
continuance, tbis glorious army boisted, on the morn- 
ing of tbe 14:tb, tbe colors of tbe United States on 
tbe walls of tliis palace. 

" Tbe victory of tbe 8tb, at tbe Molino del Key 
was followed by daring reconnaissances on tbe part 
of om* distinguisbed engineers — Capt. Lee, Lieuts. 
Beauregard, Stevens, and Tower, — Major Smith, 
senior, being sick, and Capt. Mason, tbird in rank, 
wounded. Tlieir operations were directed princij)ally 

* For a more elaborate description of the movements on Chapul- 
tepec and Mexico, see the annexed despatch of the Commander-in- 
chief, dated from the capital. 



HIS DESPATCH. 175 

to tlie soutli — towards the gates of tlie Piedad, San 
Angel, (Nino Perdido,) San Antonio, and tlie Paseo 
de la Yiga. 

"This city stands on a slight swell of ground, near 
the centre of an irregular basin, and is girdled with 
a ditch in its greater extent — a navigable canal of 
great breadth and dejDth — very difficult to bridge in 
the j)resence of an enemy, and serving at once for 
drainage, cnstom-honse purposes, and military de- 
fence ; leaving eight entrances or gates, over arches 
• — each of which we found defended by a system of 
strong works, that seemed to require nothing but 
some men and guns to be impregnable. 

" Outside and within the cross-fires of those gates, 
we found to the south other obstacles but litde less 
formidable. All the approaches near the city are 
over elevated causeways, cut in many places (to op- 
pose us), and flanked on both sides by ditches, also 
of unusual dimensions. The numerous cross-roads 
are flanked in like manner, having bridges at the 
intersections, recently broken. The meadows thus 
checkered, are, moreover, in many spots, under water 
or marshy ; for, it will be remembered, we were in 
the midst of the wet season, though with loss rain 
than usual, and we could not wait for the fall of the 
neighboring lakes and the consequent draiTiage of 
the wet grounds at the edge of the city — the lowest 
in the whole basin. 



176 WINFIELD SCOTT. 

After a close personal survey of the southern 
gates, covered by Pillow's division and Riley's bri- 
gade of Twiggs' — with four times our numbers con- 
centrated in our immediate front — -I determined on 
the 11th to avoid that net-work of obstacles, and to 
seek, by a sudden diversion, to the southwest and 
west, less unfavorable approaches. 

To economise the lives of our gallant officers and 
men, as well as to ensure success, it became indis- 
pensable that this resolution should be long masked 
from the enemy ; and again, that the new movement, 
when discovered, should be mistaken for a feint, 
and the old as indicating our true and ultimate point 
of attack. 

Accordingly, on the spot, the 11th, I ordered 
Quitman's division from Coyoacan, to join Pillow, 
by daylight, before the southern gates, and then that 
the two major-generals, with their divisions, should 
by night, proceed (two miles) to join me at Tacubaya, 
where I was quartered with Worth's division. 
Twiggs, with Piley's brigade and Captain Taylor's 
and Steptoe's field batteries — the latter of 12-poun- 
ders — was left in front of those gates, to manoeuvre, 
to threaten, or to make false attacks, in order to oc- 
cupy and deceive the enemy. Twiggs' other bri- 
gade (Smith's) was left at supporting distance, in 
the rear, at San Angel, till the morning of the 13th, 
and also to support our general depot at Miscoac. 



HIS DESPATCH. 177 

Tlie stratagem against tlie sor.tli was admirably exe- 
cuted tlirongliout the 12th and down to the afternoon 
of the 13th, when it was too hite for the enemy to 
recover from the effects of his delusion. 

" The first step i^^ the new movement was to carry 
Chapnltepec, a natural and isolated mound, of great 
elevation, strongly fortified at its base, on its accliv- 
ities, and heights. Besides a numerous garrison, 
here was the military college of the republic, with 
a large number of sub-lieutenants and other students. 
Those works were witliin direct gun-shot of the vil- 
lage of Tacubaya, and, until carried, we could not 
approach the city on the west, without making a 
circuit too wide and too hazardous. 

" In the course of the same night (that of the 11th) 
heavy batteries, within easy ranges, were established. 
Xo. 1, on our right, under the command of Capt. 
Drum, 4th artillery, (relieved late next day, for some 
hours, by Lieut. Andrews of the 3d,) and No. 2, 
commanded by Lieut. Ilagner, ordnance — both suj)- 
ported by Quitman's division. Nos. 3 and 4 on the 
opposite side, supported by Pillow's division, were 
commanded, the former by Capt. Brooks and Lieut. 
S. S. Anderson, 2d artillery, alternately, and the lat- 
ter by Lieut. Stone, ordnance. Tlie batteries were 
traced by Capt. linger and Capt. Lee, engineer, 
and constructed by them with the able assistance 



178 WmFIELD SCOTT. 

of tlie young officers of tliose corps and the artil- 
lery. 

" To prepare for an assault, it was foreseen that 
the play of the batteries might run into the second 
day ; but recent captures had not only trebled our 
seige pieces, but also our ammunition ; and we knew 
that we should greatly augment both by carrying the 
place. I was, therefore, in no haste in ordering an 
assault before the woi'ks were well crippled by our 
missiles. 

"Tlie bombardment and cannonade, under the 
direction of Capt. linger, were commenced early in 
the morning of the 12th. Before nightfall, which 
necessarily stopped our batteries, we had perceived 
that a good impression had been made on the castle 
and its outworks, and that a large body of the enemy 
had remained outside, towards the city, from an early 
hour, to avoid our fire, and to be at hand on its ces- 
sation, in order to reinforce the garrison against an 
assault. The same outside force was discovered the 
next morning, after our batteries had re-opened upon 
the castle, by which we again reduced its garrison to 
the minimum needed for the guns. 

" Pillow and Quitman luid been in position since 
early in the night of the 11th. Major-general Worth 
was now ordered to hold his division in reserve, near 
the foundry, to support Pillow ; and Brigadier-general 



HIS DKSrATCH. 170 

Smith, of Twiggs' division, had just arrived with his 
brigade from Piedad (two miles,) to support Quitman, 
Twiggs' guns, before the southern gates, again re- 
minded us, as the day before, that he, with Kiley's 
brigade, and Taylor's and Steptoe's batteries, was in 
activity, threatening the southern gates, and there 
holding a great part of the Mexican army on the de- 
fensive. 

" "Worth's division furnished Pillow's attack with 
an assaulting party of some two hundred and fifty 
volunteer officers and men, under Capt, M'Kenzie, of 
the 2d artillery ; and Twiggs' division supplied a 
similar one, commanded by Capt. Cassey, 2d infantry, 
to Quitman. Each of those little columns was fur- 
nished with scaling ladders. 

" The signal I had appointed for the attack was the 
momentary cessation of fire on the part of our heavy 
batteries. About eight o'clock in the morning of tlie 
13th, judging that the time had arrived by the effects 
of the missiles we had thrown, I sent an aid-de-camp 
to Pillow, and another to Quitman, with notice that 
the concerted signal was about to be given. Both 
columns now advanced with an alacrity that gave 
assurance of prom^jt success. The batteries, seizing 
opportunities, threw shots and shells upon the enemy 
over the heads of our men, with good effect, particu- 
larly at every attempt to reinforce the works from 
without to meet our assault. 



180 WLNFIELD SCOTT. 

" Major-general Pillow's approach, on the west side, 
lay through an open grove, filled with sharp-shooters, 
who were speedily dislodged ; when being up with 
tlie front of the attack, and emerging into open space, 
at the foot of a rocky acclivity, that gallant leader was 
struck down by an agonizing wound. The immediate 
command devolved on Brigadier-general Cadwall- 
ader, in the absence of the senior brigadier (Pierce) 
of the same division — an invalid since the events of 
August 19. On a previous call of Pillow, Worth 
had just sent him a reinforcement — Colonel CUirke's 
brigade. 

" The broken acclivity was still to be ascended, and 
a strong redoubt, midway, to be carried, before reach- 
ing the castle on the heights. The advance of our 
brave men, led by brave ofBcers, though necessarily 
slow, was unwavering, over rocks, chasms, and mines, 
and under the hottest fire of cannon and musketry. 
The redoubt now yielded to resistless valor, and the 
shouts that followed announced to the castle the fate 
that impended. The enemy were steadily driven 
from shelter to shelter. The retreat allowed not time 
to fire a single mine, without the certainty of blowing 
up friend and foe. Those who at a distance attempted 
to apply matches to the long trains, were shot down 
by our men. There was death below, as well as above 
ground. At length the ditch and wall of the main 
work were reached ; the scaling ladders were brought 



Ills DESPATCH. 181 

up and planted by the storming parties; some of the 
daring spirits first in the assault were cast down — 
killed or wounded ; but a lodgment was soon made ; 
streams of heroes followed ; all oj)position was over- 
come, and several of our regimental colors flung out 
from the upper walls, amidst long-continued shouts 
and cheers, which sent dismay into the capital, l^o 
scene could have been more animating or glorious. 

" Major-general Quitman, nobly supported by 
Brigadier-generals Shields and Smith, (P. F.,) his 
other ofiicers and men, was up with the part assigned 
him. Simultaneously with the movement on the 
west, he had gallantly approached the southeast of 
the same works, over a causeway with cuts and bat- 
teries, and defended by an army strongly posted out- 
side, to the east of the works. Those formidable ob- 
stacles Quitman had to face, with but little shelter 
for his troops or space for manoeuvring. Deep 
ditches flanking the causeway, made it difficult to 
cross on either side into the adjoining meadows, and 
these again were intersected by other ditches. Smith 
and his brigade had been early thrown out to make a 
sweep to the right, in order to present a front against 
the enemy's line, (outside,) and to turn two interven- 
ing batteries near the foot of Chapultepec. This 
movement was also intended to support Quitman's 
storming parties, both on the causeway. The first of 

these, furnished by Twiggs' division, was commanded 
10 



1S2 WLNFIELD SUOTT. 

in succession by Captain Casey, 2d infantry, and 
Captain Paul, Ttli infantry, after Casey had been 
severely wounded ; and the second, originally under 
the gallant Major Twiggs, marine corps, killed, and 
then Captain Miller, 2d Pennsylvania volunteers. 
The storming party, now commanded by Captain 
Paul, seconded by Captain Roberts, of the rifles, 
Lieutenant Stewart, and others of the same regiment, 
Smith's brigade, carried the two batteries in the road, 
took some guns, with many prisoners, and drove the 
enemy posted behind in support. The New York 
and South Carolina volunteers (Shields' brigade) and 
the 2d Pennsylvania volunteers, all on the left- of 
Quitman's line, together with portions of his storm- 
ing parties, crossed the meadows in front, under a 
heavy fire, and entered the outer enclosure of Cha- 
piiltepec just in time to join in the final assault from 
the west. 

Besides Major-generals Pillow and Quitman, Bri- 
gadier-generals Shields, Smith, and Cadwallader, the 
following are the officers and corps most distinguish- 
ed in those brilliant operations : The voltigeur regi- 
ment in two detachments, commanded respectively 
by Colonel Andrews and Lieutenant-colonel John- 
stone — the latter mostly in the lead, accompanied by 
Major Caldwell ; Captains Barnard and Biddle, of 
the same regunent — the former the first to ]Aixnt a re- 
gimental color, and the latter among the first in the 



ms DESPATCH. 183 

assault; the storming party of Worth's division, un- 
der Captain McKenzie, 2d artillery, with Lieutenant 
Seldon, 8th infantry, early on the ladder and badly 
wounded ; Lieutenant Armistead, 6th infantry, the 
first to leap into the ditch to plant a ladder ; Lieuten- 
ants Rogers of the 4th, and J. P. Smith of the 5th in- 
fantry — both mortally wounded ; the 9th infantry, 
under Colonel liansom, who was killed while gal- 
lantly leading that gallant regiment ; the loth in- 
fantry, under Lieutenant-colonel Howard and Major 
"Woods, with Captain Chase, whose company gallant- 
ly carried the redoubt, midway by the acclivity ; 
Col. Clarke's brigade, (Worth's division,) consisting of 
the 5th, 8th, and part of the 6th regiments of infantry, 
commanded respectively by Captain Chapman, Major 
Montgomery, and Lieutenant Edward Johnson — the 
latter specially noticed, with Lieutenants Longstreet, 
(l)adly wounded, advancing, colors in hand,) Pickett, 
and Merchant, the last three of the 8th infantry ; por- 
tions of the United States marines, New York, South 
Carolina, and 2d Pennsylvania volunteers, which, de- 
layed with their division (Quitman's) by the hot en- 
gagement below, arrived just in time to participate 
in the assault of the heights — particularly a detach- 
ment under Lieutenant Peid, New York volunteers, 
consisting of a company of the same, with one of 
marines ; and another detachment, a portion of the 
storming party, (Twiggs' division, serving with Quit- 



184 WmFIELI) SCOTT. 

man,) under Lieutenant Steele, 2d infantry, after the 
fall of Lieutenant Gantt, Tth infantry. 

In this connection, it is but just to recall the deci- 
sive effect of the heavy batteries, E'os. 1, 2, 3, and 4, 
commanded by those excellent officers, Captain 
Drum, 4th artillery, assisted by Lieutenants Benja- 
min and Porter of his own company ; Captain Brooks 
and Lieutenant Anderson, 2d artillery, assisted by 
Lieutenant Bussell, 4th infantry, a volunteer ; Lieu- 
tenants Ilagner and Stone of the ordnance, and Lieu- 
tenant Andrews, 3d artillery ; the whole superintend- 
ed b}' Captain linger, chief of ordnance with this 
army — an officer distinguished by every kind of 
merit. The mountain howitzer battery, under Lieu- 
tenant Beno, of the ordnance, deserves, also, to be 
particularly mentioned. Attached to the voltigeurs, 
it followed tlie movements of that regiment, and 
again won applause. 

In adding to the list of individuals of conspicuous 
merit, I must limit myself to a few of the many 
names which might be enumerated : Captain Hooker, 
assistant adjutant-general, who won special applause, 
successively, in the staff of Pillow and Cadwallader ; 
Lieutenant Lovell, 4th artillery, (wounded,) chief of 
Quitman's staff; Captain Page, assistant adjutant- 
general, (wounded,) and Lieutenant Hammond, 3d 
artillery, both of Shields' staff, and Lieutenant Yan 



HIS DESPATCH. 185 

Dorn, (7th infontiy,) aid-de-camp to Brigadier-general 
Smith. 

Those operations all occurred on tlie west, south- 
east, and heights of Chapultepec. To the north and 
at the base of tlie mound, inaccessible on that side, 
the 11th infantry, under Lieut. CoL Hebert, the 14th, 
under Col. Trousdale, and Capt. Magruder's field 
battery, 1st artillery — one section advanced under 
Lieut. Jackson — all of Pillow's division — had, at the 
same time, some spirited affairs against superior 
numbers, driving the enemy from a battery in the 
road, and capturing a gun. In these, the officers and 
corps named gained merited praise. Colonel Trous- 
dale, the commander, though twice wounded, con- 
tinued on duty imtil the heights were carried. 

Early in the morning of the 13th, I repeated the 
orders of the night before to Major-general Worth, to 
be, with his division at hand, to support the move- 
ment of Major-general Pillow from our left. The 
latter seems soon to have called for that entire 
division, standing momentarily in reserve, and "Worth 
sent him Col. Clarke's brigade. The call, if not 
unnecessary, was at least, from the circumstances, 
unknown to me at the time ; for, soon observing that 
the very large body of the enemy, in the road in front 
of Major-general Quitman's right, was receiving rein- 
forcements from the city — less than a mile and a half 
to the east — I sent instructions to Worth, on our 



1S6 WINFTKLD SCOTT. 

opposite flank, to turn Cliapnltepcc witli Lis division, 
and to jDroceed cautiously, by the road at its northern 
base, in order, if not met by very superior numbers, 
to threaten or to attack, in rear, that body of the 
enemy. Tlie movement, it was also believed, could 
not fail to distract and to intimidate the enemy gen- 
erally. 

" Worth promply advanced with his remaining 
brigade — Colonel Garland's — Lieut. Col. C. F. 
Smith's light battalion, Lieut. Col. Duncan's field 
battery' — ^all of his division — and three squadrons of 
dragoons, imder Major Sumner, which I had just 
ordered up to join in the movement. 

" Having turned the forest on the west, and arriv- 
ing opposite to the north centre of Chapultepec, 
"Worth came up with the troops in the road, under 
Col. Trousdale, and aided, by a flank movement of a 
part of Garland's brigade, in taking the one gun 
breastwork, then under the fire of Lieut. Jackson's 
section of Capt. Magruder's field battery. Continu- 
ing to advance, this division passed Chapultepec, 
attacking the right of the enemy's line, resting on 
that road, about the moment of the general retreat 
consequent upon the capture of the formidable castle 
and its outworks. 

Arriving some minutes later, and mounting to the 
top of the castle, the whole field, to the east, lay 
plainly under my view. 



HIS DESPATCU. 187 

''Tliei'G are two routes from Clifipultepec to tlie 
capital — the one on the right entering the same gate, 
Belen, with the road from the south, via Piedad ; 
and the other obliquing to the left, to intersect the 
great western, or San Cosmo road, in a suburb out- 
side of the gate of San Cosmo. 

" Each of these routes (an elevated causeway,) pre- 
sents a double roadway on the sides of an aqueduct 
of strong masonry and great height, resting on 
open arches and massive pillars, which together 
afford fine points both for attack and defence. Tlio 
sideways of both aqueducts are, moreover, defended 
by many strong breastworks at the gates, and before 
reaching them. As we had expected, we found the 
four tracks unusually dry and solid for the season. 

" Worth and Quitman were prompt in pursuing the 
retreating enemy — the former by the San Cosm® 
aqueduct, and the latter along that of Belen. Each 
had now advanced some hundred yards. 

" Deeming it all-important to profit by our suc- 
cesses and the consequent dismay of the enemy, 
which could not be otherwise than general, I hastened 
to despatch from Chapultepec — first Clark's brigade, 
and then Cadwallader's, to the support of Worth, 
and gave orders that the necessary heavy guns 
should follow. Pierce's brigade was, at the same 
time, sent to Quitman, and, in the course of the 
afternoon, I caused some additional siege pieces to 



188 WINFIKLD SCOTT. 

be added to his train. Tlien, after designating thG 
15tli infantry, under Lient. Col. Howard — Mor- 
gan, the colonel, had been disabled bj a wonnd 
at Chui'ubnsco — as the garrison of Chapultepec, 
and giving directions for the care of the prison- 
ers of war, the captured ordnance and ordnance 
stores, I proceeded to join the advance of Worth, 
within the subnrb, and beyond the turn at the junc- 
tion of the aqueduct with the great highway from 
the west to the gate of San Cosmo. 

"At this junction of roads, we first passed one of 
those formidable systems of city defences, spoken 
of above, and it had not a gun ! — a, strong proof, 
1. That the enemy had expected us to fail in the at- 
tack upon Chapultepec, even if we meant anything 
more than a feint ; 2. That, in either case, we de- 
signed, in his belief, to return and double our forces 
against the southern gates — a delusion kept up by 
the active demonstrations of Twiggs and the forces 
posted on that side ; and, 3. That advancing rapidl}'- 
from the reduction of Chapultepec, the enemy had 
not time to shift guns — our previous captures had 
left him, comparatively, but few — from the southern 
gates. 

"Within those disgarnished works, I found our 
troops engaged in a street iiglit against tlie enemy 
posted in gardens, at windows, and on house-tops — ■ 
all flat, with parapets. Worth ordered forward the 



HIS DESPATCH. 189 

mountain howitzers of Carlwallader's brigade, pre- 
ceded by skirmishers and pioneers, with piclcaxes 
and crowbars, to force windows and doors, or to bur- 
row through walls. Tlie assailants were soon in an 
equalitity of position fatal to the enemy. By eight 
o'clock in the evening, Worth had carried two bat- 
teries in this suburb. According to my instructions, 
he here posted guards and sentinels, and placed his 
troops under shelter for the night. Tliere was but 
one more obstacle — the San Cosmo gate, (custom- 
house,) between him and the great square in front 
of the cathedral and palace, the heart of the city; 
and that barrier it was known could not, by daylight, 
resist our siege guns thirty minutes. 

" I had gone back to the foot of Chapultepec, the 
point from which the two arjueducts begin to diverge, 
some hours earlier, in order to be near that new 
depot, and in easy communication with Quitman and 
Twiggs, as well as with Worth. 

" From this point I ordered all detachments and 
stragglers to their respective corps, then in advance ; 
sent to Quitman additional siege guns, ammunition, 
intrenching tools ; directed Twiggs' remaining bri- 
gade (Riley's) from Piedad, to support Worth and 
Captain Steptoe's field-battery, also at Piedad, to re- 
join Quitman's division. 

" I had been, from the first, well aware tliat tlie 
western or San Cosmo, was the less difficult route to 



190 ■WINFIELB SCOTT. 

the centre, and conqnest of tlie capital, and tlierefore 
intended that Quitman should only manoeuvre and 
threaten the Belen or southwestern gate, in order to 
favor the main attack by Worth, knowing that the 
strong defences at the Belen were directly under the 
guns of the much, stronger fortress, called the Citadel, 
just within. Both of these defences of the enemy 
were also within easy supporting distance from the 
San Angel, or Kino Perdido, and San Antonio gates. 
Hence the greater support, in numbers, given to 
Worth's movement as the main attack. 

" These views I repeatedly, in the course of the 
day, communicated to Major-general Quitman; but 
being in hot pursuit — 'gallant himself, and ably sup- 
ported by Brigadier-generals Shields and Smith, 
Shields badly wounded before Chapultepec, and re- 
fusing to retire, as well as by all the officers and men 
of the column — Quitman continued to press for- 
Avard, under flank and direct fires, carried an inter- 
mediate battery of two guns, and then the gate, 
before two o'clock in the afternoon, but not with- 
out proportionate loss, increased by his steady 
maintenance of that position. 

" Here, of the heavy battery, (-ith artillery,) Capt. 
Drum and Lieutenant Benjamin were mortally 
wounded, and Lieutenant Porter, its third in rank, 
slightly. The loss of those two most distinguished 
officers the army will long mourn. Lieutenants J. 



mS DESPATCH. 191 

B. Morange and William Canty, of the Soutli Caro- 
lina volunteers, also of liigli merit, fell on the same 
occasion, besides many of onr bravest non-commis- 
sioned officers and men, particularly in Captain 
Drum's veteran company. I cannot, in this place, 
give names or numbers ; but full returns of the killed 
and wounded, of all corps, in their recent operations, 
will accompany this report. 

" Quitman within the city. — adding several new de- 
fences to the position he had won, and sheltering his 
corps as well as practicable — now awaited the return 
of daylight under the guns of the formidable citadel, 
yet to be subdued. 

"About tt o'clock next morning, (Sept. 14,) a 
deputation of the ayuntamiento (city council) waited 
upon me to report that the federal government and 
the army of Mexico had fled from the capital some 
three hours before ; and to demand terms of capitu- 
lation in tavor of the church, the citizens, and the 
municipal authorities. I promptly replied, that I 
would sign no capitulation ; that the city had been 
virtually in om- possession from the time of the lodg- 
ments effected by Worth and Quitman the day be- 
fore ; that I regretted the silent escape of the Mexi- 
can army ; that I should levy upon the city a mode- 
rate contribution, for special purposes ; and that the 
American army should come under no terms not 
self-imposed ; such only as its own honor, the dignity 



192 WIXFIELD SCOTT. 

of tlie United States, and the spirit of tlie age, slionld, 
in my oj^inion, imperiously demand and impose. 

" For the terms, so imposed, I refer tlie department 
to subsequent General Orders, Nos. 287 and 289, (par- 
agraphs Y, 8, and 9 of the latter,) copies of which are 
herewith enclosed. 

" At the termination of the interview with the city 
deputation, I communicated, about daylight, orders 
to Worth and Quitman to advance slowly and cau- 
tiously (to guard against treachery) toward the heart 
of the city, and to occupy its stronger and more com- 
manding points. Quitman proceeded to the great 
plaza or square, planted guards, and hoisted the 
colors of the United States on the national palace, 
containing the halls of Congress and executive de- 
partments of federal Mexico. In this grateful service, 
Quitman might have been anticipated by Worth, but 
for my express orders, halting the latter at the head 
of the Alameda, (a green park,) within three squares 
of that goal of general ambition. The capital, how- 
ever, was aot taken by any one or two corps, but by 
the talent, the science, the gallantry, the prowess of 
this entire army. In the glorious conqviest, all had 
contributed, early and powerfully, the killed, the 
wounded, and the fit for duty, at Vera Cruz, Cerro 
Gordo, Contreras, San Antonia, Churubusco, (three 
battles,) the Molino del Eey, and Chapultepec, as 



HIS DESPATCH. 193 

mucli as those who fought at the gates of Belen and 
San Cosmo. 

" Soon after we had entered, and were in the act of 
occupying the city, a fire was opened upon us from 
the flat roofs of the houses, from windows, and corners 
of streets, by some two thousand convicts, liberated 
the night before by the flying government, joined by, 
perhaps, as many Mexican sokliers, who had disbanded 
themselves, and thrown ofi" their uniforms. This un- 
lawful war lasted more than twenty -four hours, in 
spite of the exertions of the municipal authorities, and 
was not put down till we had lost many men, includ- 
ing several ofiicers, killed or wounded, and had 
punished the miscreants. Their objects were to 
gratify national hatred, and in the general alarm and 
confusion, to plunder the wealthy inhabitants, par- 
ticularly the deserted houses. But families are now 
generally returning ; business of every kind has been 
resumed, and the city is already tranquil and cheer- 
ful, under the admirable conduct (with exceptions 
very few and trifling) of our gallant troops. 

" This army has been more disgusted than sur- 
prised, that by some sinister process on the part of 
certain individuals at home, its numbers have been, 
generally, almost trebled in our public papers, begin- 
ning at Washington. 

" Leaving, as we all feared, inadequate garrisons 
at Vera Cruz, Perote, and Puebla, with much larger 



194: WINFIELD SCOTT. 

hospitals ; and being obliged, most reluctantly, from 
the same cause (general paucity of numbers) to aban- 
don Jalapa, we marched (August 7-10) from Puebla 
with only 10,738 rank and file. Tliis number includes 
the garrison of Jalapa, and the 2,429 men brought up 
by Brigadier-general Pierce, August 6. 

" At Contreras, Churubusco, &c., [August 20,] we 
had but 8,497 men engaged — after deducting the 
garrison of San Augustin, (our general depot,) the in- 
termediate sick and the dead ; at the Molino del 
Pe}^, (September 8,) but three brigades, with some 
cavalry and artillery — making in all 3,251 men — 
were in the battle; in the two days — September 12th 
and 13th — our whole operating force, after deducting, 
again, the recent killed, wounded, and sick, together 
with the garrison of Miscoac (the then general depot) 
and that of Tacubaya, was but 7,180 ; and, finally, 
after deducting the new garrison of Chapultepec, 
with the killed and wounded of the two days, we took 
possession (September 14th,) of this great capital with 
less than 6,000 men. And I re-assert, upon accumu- 
lated and unquestionable evidence, that, in not one' of 
those conflicts was this army opposed by fewer than 
three-and-a-half times its numbers — in several of them, 
by a yet greater excess. 

" I recapitulate our losses since we arrived in the 
basin of Mexico. 

" August 19, 20. — Killed, 137, including 14 officers. 



HIS DESPATCH. 105 

• — Wounded, 877, including 62 officers. Missing, 
(probably killed,) 38 rank and file. Total, 1,052. 

" September 8. — Killed, 116, including 9 officers. 
— "Wounded, 665, including 49 officers. Missing, 18 
rank and file. Total, 789. 

" September 12, 13, 14.— Killed, 130, including 10 
officers. Wounded, 703, including 68 officers. Miss- 
ing, 29 rank and file. Total, 862. 

" Grand total of losses, 2,703, including 383 officers. 

On the other hand, this small force has beaten on 
the same occasions in view of their capital, the whole 
Mexican armj, of (at the beginning) thirty-odd thou- 
sand men — posted, always, in chosen positions, behind 
intrenchments, or more formidable defences of nature 
and art ; killed or wounded, of that number, more 
than 7,000 officers and men ; taken 3,730 prisoners, 
one-seventh officers, including 13 generals, of whom 
3 had been presidents of this republic ; captured more 
than 20 colors and standards, 75 pieces of ordnance, 
besides 57 wall pieces, 20,000 small arms, an immense 
quantity of shots, shells, powder, &c., &c. 

Of that enemy, once so formidable in numbers, 
appointments, artillery, &c., twenty-odd thousand 
have disbanded themselves in despair, leaving, as is 
known, not more than three fragments — the largest 
about 2,500 — now wandering in different directions, 
without magazines or a military chest, and living at 
free quarters upon their own people. 



196 T\^lSfFIELD SCOTT. 

General Santa Anna, himself a fugitive, is believed 
to be on the point of resigning the chief-magistracy, 
and escaping to neutral Guatemala, A new Presi- 
dent, no doubt, will soon be declared, and the federal 
Congress is expected to reassemble at Queretaro, 125 
miles north of this, on the Zacatecas road, some time 
in October. I have seen and given safe conduct 
through this city to several of its members. Tlie 
government will find itself without resources ; no 
army, no arsenals, no magazines, and but little reve- 
nue, internal or external. Still, such is the obstinacy, 
or rather infatuation, of this people, that it is very 
doubtful whether the new authorities will dare to sue 
for peace on the terms which in the recent negotia- 
tions, M-ere made known by ouv minister. 

In conclusion, I beg to enumerate, once more, with 
due commendation and thanks, the distinguished 
staff officers, general and personal, who, in our last 
operations in front of the enemy, accompanied me, 
and communicated orders to every point and through 
every danger. Lieutenant-colonel Hitchcock, acting 
inspector-general; Major Turnbull and Lieutenant 
Hardcastle, topographical engineers ; Major Kirby, 
chief paymaster ; Captain Irwin, chief quartermaster ; 
Captain Grayson, chief commissary ; Captain H. L. 
Scott, chief in the adjutant-general's department; 
Lieutenant Williams, aid-de-camp; Lieutenant Lay, 



HIS DESPATCH. 197 

military secretary ; and Major J. P. Gaines, Kentucky, 
cavalry, volunteer aid-de-camp ; Captain Lee, engi- 
neer, so constantly distinguished, also bore important 
orders from me, (Sept. 13,) until he ftiinted from a 
wound and the loss of two nights' sleep at the batte- 
ries. Lieutenants Beauregard, Stevens, and Tower, 
all wounded, were employed with the divisions, and 
Lieutenants G. ^Y. Smith and G. B. McClellan, with 
the company of sappers and miners. Those five lieu- 
tenants of engineers, like their captain, won the 
admiration of all about them. The ordnance officers, 
Captain Huger, Lieutenants Hagner, Stone, and Reno, 
were highly efifective, and distinguished at the several 
batteries ; and I must add that Captain McKinstry, 
assistant quartermaster, at the close of the operations, 
executed several important commissions for me as a 
special volunteer. 

Surgeon-general Lawson, and the medical staff 
generally, were skilful and untiring, in and out of 
fire, in ministering to the numerous wounded. 

To illustrate the operations in this basin, I enclose 
two beautiful drawings, prepared under the directions 
of Major Turnbull, mostly from actual survey. 
- I ha^e the honor to be, sir, with high respect, your 
most obedient servant, 

WINFIELD SCOTT. 

The Hon. Wm. L. Maecy, Secretary of War. 



198 WINFIELD SCOTT. 

" ' Head Quarters, Eastern Division U. S. Army. ] 
Augusta, Me., March 21, 1839. ) 

" ' The undersigaed, a Major-General in the Army 
of the United States, being specially charged with 
maintaining the peace and safety of their entire 
northern and eastern frontiers, having cause to appre- 
hend a collision of arms between tlie proximate forces 
of ]N^ew Brunswick and the State of Maine on the 
disputed territory^ which is claimed by both, has the 
honor, in the sincere desire of the United States to 
preserve the relations of peace and amity with Great 
Britain — relations which might be much endangered 
by such untoward collision — to invite from his Ex- 
cellency Major-General Sir John Harvey, Lieutenant- 
Governor, &c., &c., a general declaration to this 
effect : ■ 

" ' That it is not the intention of the Lieutenant-Gov- 
ernor of Her Britannic Majestj^'s Province of New 
Brunswick, under the expected renewal of negotia- 
tions between the cabinets of London and "Washington 
on the subject of the said disputed territory, without 
renewed instructions to that effect from his govern- 
ment, to seek to take military possession of that 
territory, or to seek, by military force, to expel 
therefrom the armed civil j^osse or the troops of 
Maine. 

" ' Should the undersigned have the honor to be 
favored with such declaration or assurance, to be by 



CORRESPONDENCE. 199 

him communicated to his Excellency the Governor 
of the State of Maine, the undersigned does not in 
the least doubt that he would be immediately and 
fully authorized by the Governor of Maine to com- 
municate to his Excellency the Lieutenant-Governor 
of New Brunswick a corresponding pacific declaration 
to this effect : 

" ' That in the hope of a speedy and satisfactory 
settlement, by negotiation, between the governments 
of the United States and Great Britain, of the princi- 
pal or boundary question between the State of Maine 
and the Province of 'New Brunswack, it is not the 
intention of the Governor of Maine, without renewed 
instructions from the Legislature of the State, to 
attempt to disturb by arms the said Province in the 
possession of the Madawaska settlements, or to 
attempt to interrupt the usual communications be- 
tween that province and Her Majesty's Upper 
provinces ; and that he is willing, in the mean time, 
to leave the questions of possession and jurisdiction 
as they at present stand — that is. Great Britain hold- 
ing, in fact, possession of a part of the said territory, 
and the government of Maine denying her right to 
such possession; and the state of Maine holding, in 
fact, possession of another portion of the same ter- 
ritory, to which her right is denied by Great Britain. 

" ' With this understanding, the Governor of Maine 
will, without unnecessary delay, withdraw the military 



200 ■WINFIELD SCOTT. 

force of the State from flie said disputed territory — 
leaving only, under a land agent, a small civil posse^ 
armed or unarmed, to protect the timber recently cut, 
and to prevent further dej^redations. 

" ' Reciprocal assurances of the foregoing friendly 
character having been, through the undersigned, 
interchanged, all danger of collision between the 
immediate parties to the controversy will be at once 
removed, and time allowed the United States and 
Great Bi'itain to settle amicably the great question 
of limits. 

" ' The undersigned has much pleasure in renewing 
to his Excellency Major-Gen eral Sir John Harvey, 
the assurances of his ancient high consideration and 
respect. 

" ' WiNFiELD Scott.' 



" To a copy of the foregoing. Sir John Harvey 
annexed the following — ■ 

" 'The undersigned, Major-General Sir John Har- 
vey, Lieutenant-Governor of Her Britannic Majesty's 
Province of New Brunswick, having received a 
proposition from Major-General "Winfield Scott, of 
.the United States Army, of which the foregoing is a 
copy, hereby, on his part, signifies his concurrence 
and acquiescence therein. 



COBKESrOKDENCK. 201 

" ' Sir Jubu Harvey renews with great pleasure to 
Major-General Scott the assurances of his warmest 
personal consideration, regard, and respect. 

" ' J. Harvey. 

" ' Government House, Frederickton, ) 
New Brunswick, March 23, 1839.' ) 



The following letter from Governor Harvey makes it 
apparent without these docmnents whom he regarded 
as the pacificator. There can be no doubt that to 
Scott's prudence, noble forbearance and skill, we owe 
the entire settlement of this boundary question, which 
promised to end in blood. 

" My deae General Scott — 

" Upon my return from closing 
the session of the Provincial Legislature, I was grati- 
fied by the receipt of your very satisfactory commu- 
nication of the 21st instant. My reliance upon you^ 
iny dear general, has led me to give my willing assent 
to the proposition which you have made yourself the 
very acceptable means of conveying to me; and I 
trust that as far as the province and state respectively 
are concerned, an end will be put by it to all border 
disputes, and a way opened to an amicable adjust- 



203 WLNTIELD SCOTT. 

ment of the national question involved. I shall hope 
to receive the confirmation of this arrangement on 
the part of the State of Maine at as early a period as 
may be practicable." 



ANDREW JACKSON. 




y^-'s^f<ax9ffw/.' 



& JE K . .!■{ A V Ik ^D \-) 



:.^^,^.^^f^=J^^:^^^^ 



ANDREW JACKSON. 



CHAPTER I. 

.Tackson's boyhood— Left an orphan — His mother— Massacre at Waxhaw — At thir- 
teen becomes a soldier — First battle — His corn-age — Taken prisoner — His repiibH- 
can spirit — Is wounded— Presence of mind^— Digs through his prison wall to see 
Greene's encampment — Hobkirk-hill — His release and return home — Heroism of 
Ins mother — Visits Charleston — Studies law — Eemoves to Tennessee— Fights a 
bully— Pursued by Indians— His chivalry — Jealousy of Eobards— Marries Mi-s. 
Eobards — Daring Arrest — Attacked by a mob — Becomes a farmer — Duel with 
Dickinson — His failure — Defends the wronged— Care of the sick — Tecumseh — 
His eloquence — Massacre of Fort Mimms — Jackson enters the Creek Country — 
Attacks the Indians — The battie — Distress of Ms troops — Mutiny in his army. — 
Quells a mutiny — ^A second mutiny — Defeats the Indians — Attacked by IndiaHs 
— Reinforcements — Battle of the Horse Shoe— Saves a warrior— Ends the war 
— nis resolution. 

The spirit of faction i8 always unjust, and often 
cruel. A spotless character, and a life of self-sacrifice 
and devotion to others, cannot allay its resentment, or 
shame it into honor. It was, therefore, doubtless, well 
for both Generals Harrison and Taylor, that they fell 
on the threshold of their political life. They had al- 
ready experienced enough of detraction and injustice 

to convince them of the untiring hatred of party spirit. 
10 A 



204 AXDKEW JACKSOX. 

General Jackson not only tasted the bitter cup which 
an unjust opposition presented to bis lips, but drank 
it to the dregs, during the eight years of his stormy 
presidency. But now, each succeeding year that 
sweeps over his grave, obliterates some of the marks 
of former struggles, and former hate, and retouches 
those half-effaced lines which a grateful nation had 
traced to his memory, and which will be read with 
pride and love, when the animosity that obscured 
them shall be remembered only to be pitied and con- 
demned. 

In 1765 a transient vessel modestly crept into the 
harbor of Charleston, having on board a number of 
emigrants, who had fled from persecution in the old 
w^orld, to find shelter and repose in the new. Among 
them was a Protestant family from the north of Ire- 
land, by the name of Jackson. Like all the Protest- 
ants from that section of Ireland, they were descended 
from the Scotch, who came over to settle on lands 
confiscated by the English government. This family 
consisted of Andrew Jackson, his wife, and two sons, 
Hugh and Kobert. The father was the youngest of 
four sons, and though unaccustomed to the manage- 
ment of a large, wild farm, resolved to leave a land 
torn with civil dissensions, and vexed and outraged 
oy English injustice, and make for himself a home in 
the distant colonies of America. 

He was accompanied by three of his neighbors, 



niS MOTIIEE. 205 

who, witli him, disliking the low lands near the coast 
around Charleston, passed north, to the borders of 
North Carolina, and settled in a wild and remote 
spot, on the "VVaxhaw Creek. Two years after, March 
loth, 1767, Andrew Jackson, the subject of this 
sketch, was born. The father lived but a short time 
after the birth of the son who was to bear his name, 
and render it immortal, leaving the disconsolate 
widow to struggle with the difficulties that attend the 
settlement of a new country. 

The property left to the family, was small, but by 
the energy of Mrs. Jackson and her two older sons, 
it was made to yield a comfortable subsistence. Such 
a mother as watched over the opening existence of 
the fatherless Andrew, is seldom given to children. 
Like the mother of the young Naj)oleon, she was 
gifted with a strong intellect, while, in the strictness 
of her religious principles, fixedness of purpose, and 
fearlessness of heart, she resembled the old Covenant- 
ers, from whom she was descended. Had she lived 
in those troublous times of her church, when the 
sword of Claverhouse was making the hills of Scot- 
land ruddy with the blood of its children, she would 
have been among the first to resist the oppressor, 
even at the cost of her life. From her, Andrew de- 
rived his daring spirit, inflexible will, tireless energy, 
and hatred of oj^pression. The history of both her 

Irish and Scotch ancestors, had been one of wrong and 
11 



206 ANDREW JACKSOiSr. 

cruelty inflicted by English power, and as slie re- 
counted tlie past to her listening child, deep and per- 
manent impressions were made, that no change of 
circumstances or time could afterwards obliterate. 

Whether there was something about this, her 
youngest born, — in his flashes of youthful genius — 
the fervid and daring spirit, which even in boyhood 
would often burst forth, or whether a deej^er love, 
clinging around the child of her bereavement, who 
bore the name of her lost companion, influenced her 
determination, at all events, she resolved, limited as 
her means were, to give him an education. True to 
the faith of her fathers, she dedicated him to God. 
That bright young intellect, whose development she 
watched with such maternal solicitude, must bestow 
its powers on no mere worldly object, and she resolved' 
that he should become a herald of the cross — little 
thinking how soon that voice, instead of uttering 
accents of mercy, would ring loudest on the battle 
field. 

Amid the peaceful studies of Waxhaw academy, to 
which Andrew had been sent to commence his edu- 
cation, passed the first years of his boyhood. "While 
here, the Ee volution broke out, and though tlie con- 
flict was principally in the northern colonies, still the 
war notes which a free people uttered, found an echo 
in the bosoms of the inhabitants of South Carolina, 
and the battles of Lexington, Concord, Bunker Hill, 



MASSACEE AT WAXTIAW. 207 

• — the neM's of the disastrous campaign that followed, 
— the brilliant movement of Washington on Trenton, 
— the toils and sufferings of the American soldiers, — 
the battle of Saratoga, and the surrender of Burgoyne, 
fanned the flames of patriotism, and filled the hearts 
of young and old with a burning desire to strike one 
blow for their common country. Nor had they long 
to wait, for the desolating tide of war soon rolled 
south, and the rallying notes of the bugle rang through 
the pine woods of Carolina. 

In 17T8, Savannah was taken, and the next spring 
the British troops passed over into South Carolina. 
They were met by the hardy yeomanry, among whom 
was Hugh Jackson, the elder brother of Andrew. He 
fell in his first battle, at Stono, overcome by the heat 
and labor of the day. 

The next year Charleston surrendered, and the 
British army, in three strong columns, pierced the 
state in three different directions. Colonel Buford, 
with four hundred men, slowly retired before the 
column under Cornwallis, who, hearing of the presence 
of his adversary, despatched Colonel Tarleton with 
two hundred and seventy dragoons, in pursuit. Colonel 
Buford was overtaken at Waxhaw, the home of 
Andrew, and cut to pieces. Out of the four hundred 
in his command, two hundred and sixty were left 
dead, or badly wounded, in the peaceful village of 
Waxhaw. On the quiet green, along the rural street, 



208 ANDEEW JACKSON. 

around the humble cottages, lay the mutilated bodies, 
nearly all of them showing the ghastly wounds of the 
sabre. The fierce dragoons, with their bugle blasts, 
and shouts, and trampling steeds, had come and gone 
like a whirlwind, leaving desolation in their path, 
while the silence that succeeded this sudden uproar, 
and short, fierce death-struggle, was broken only by 
the groans of the dying. The little village church 
was immediately turned into an hospital, and the in- 
habitants vied with each other in ministering to the 
wounded. 

Andrew was at this time but twelve years of age ; 
but as he listened to the tumult of the battle, and 
afterwards gazed on the frightful spectacle, his young 
heart kindled into rage, and in that dreadful hour, 
the soldier was born. 

Not long after, as the marauders, under Lord Kaw- 
don, advanced towards the settlements on the Wax- 
haw, marking their course with rapine and murder, 
Mrs. Jackson and her two remaining sons, together 
with most of the inhabitants, fled into North Carolina, 
where they remained till the British commander was 
recalled to Camden. 

In July of this year (1780), General Sumter made 
his gallant but unsuccessful attack on the British at 
Rocky Mount. Soon after, he was reinforced by a 
party of "Waxhaw settlers under Colonel Davie, 
among whom were the two sons of Widow Jackson. 



BECOAIES A SOLDIER. 209 

Andrew, at this time, was but tliirteen years old, and 
could scarcely stagger under the weight of his musket. 
It was sad to behold one so young marching to the 
carnage of battle ; but there was a sublimity, a 
grandeur, about the gallant boy, that wins our highest 
admiration. It is a terrible thing to have such a 
child cast into the midst of strife and bloodshed ; and 
yet it is a noble spectacle to behold so young a heart 
laid on the altar of his country, so fresh a life offered 
a sacrifice to liberty. 

It was hard for the solitary widow to part with 
her " Benjamin," the child of her love. As she 
strained him to her bosom, she thought of the hard- 
ships and toilsome march before him, and alas ! of 
the battle-field on which, perchance, his pale and 
innocent cheek would be pressed in death, while 
his clotted locks lay trampled in the earth ; yet. 
Spartan-like, she bade him, in God's name, go, and 
strike for the land of his birth. 

On the 6th of August, General Sumter attacked 
the British post at Hanging Rock. At first, he was 
successful ; but, owing to the insubordination of 
some of his troops, he was at length compelled to 
retreat. The young Jacksons were in Col. Davie's 
corps, which fought gallantly to the last. This was 
Andrew's first battle, and in it he showed the motal 
lie was made of. 

Soon after this engagement, he retm-ned to his 



210 ANDEEW JACKSON. 

mother, who again fled for safety to ISTorth Carolina. 
Here they remained till February, when, they once 
more recrossed the borders, in search of their home. 

The coniiict, which now raged with violence in 
the Carolinas, was not confined to ' British and 
Americans, but civil war broke forth in all its fury. 
Towns, and even families, were divided ; and with 
the success of the British, the Tories increased both 
in numbers and boldness ; and, knowing the coun- 
try thoroughly, rendered concealment on the part 
of the Whigs difficult. The patriotic inhabitants 
were compelled to be on their guard as much as if 
surrounded by hostile Indians. Andrew, and his 
brother, therefore, with others, kept their horses 
and guns to be ready at a moment's warning for any 
enterprise that might ofi'er itself. One night, a Cap- 
tain Lands, an officer in the rebel army, came to the 
"Waxhaw to spend a night with his family. Fearing 
his arrival might be known to the Tories, who would 
at once capture him, a guard of eight men volun- 
teered to keep watch around the hovise. Andrew and 
his elder brother Kobert were among the number. 

No signs of disturbance having been seen during 
the evening, the party lay down on the floor of the 
house and fell asleep. One of them, however, be- 
ing a British deserter, and fearing re-capture, could 
not 60 easily compose himself. 

The night wore on, and all was still without, save 



HIS COUKAGE 211 

tlie music of running water ; and everytliing be- 
tokened repose and safety. But, a little after mid- 
niglit, the British deserter, who sat, wide awake, 
outside the door, thought he heard a noise near the 
stable, and, stealing cautiously out, saw a party of 
Tories stealthily approaching the house. Hushing 
back, he seized the person lying nearest the door by 
the hair, exclaiming, " The Tories are upon us ! the 
Tories are upon us !" The sleeper thus suddenly 
aroused was the boy Andrew. Instead of showing 
the agitation natural to a lad of fourteen, he quickly 
snatched up his musket, and, running forth in the 
direction pointed out by the deserter, saw the dim 
outline of a body of men silently advancing. Kest- 
ing his musket in the crotch of an apple tree, he 
stoutly hailed them. Keceiving no answer, he 
hailed them again, and, still receiving no reply, 
fired. A volley instantly followed, and the deserter 
fell dead by his side. The party, however finding 
themselves discovered, halted, uncertain Vv^hether to 
advance or retreat. The house had a hall running 
directly through it, from east to west, with a door 
at either extremity. The party at which young 
Jackson fired was a])proaching the east door ; but, 
in the mean time, another detachment had taken a 
slight circuit around the house, in order to stop the 
inmates from escaping by the west entrance. Tlie 
latter, mistaking the volley which had been dis- 



212 ANDREW JACKSON. 

charged at Jackson, for that of a sallying party 
from the house, wheeled, and fired at their friends. 
In the meantime, Andrew had re-entered the house, 
and, rmming to the west door, began, with two 
others, to fire on the enemy. In a short time, both 
of his companions, were shot down by his side ; but 
the gallant boy, though alone, boldly maintained 
the contest. It was uncertain how this unequal con- 
flict would end ; when, suddenly, over the crack of 
musketry, there rang on the clear night air the shrill 
blast of a bugle, sounding the charge. The Tories, 
alarmed, turned and fled precipitately. Andrew 
expected every moment to hear the tramp of cavalry 
sweeping along the road ; but no cavalry came, and 
he and his remaining friends kept undisturbed watch 
over their dead and wounded comrades till morning. 

It turned out afterwards that Major Isbel, who 
was in the neighborhood, had heard the firing, and, 
supposing that Captain Land's house was attacked, 
snatched down his bugle, and blew a charge to alarm 
the assailants, though he had not a man with him. 

The coolness and self-possession of Andrew in this 
night attack, exhibit a presence of mind and cour- 
age seldom witnessed in a tried soldier, and fore- 
shadow the great commander. 

. In the mean time Lord Rawdon, hearing that the 
stubborn and patriotic Waxhaw settlers liad re- 
turned, despatched Major Coflin with a detachment 



TAKEN PEISONEK. 213 

of infantry and dragoons to capture tliem. Tlie 
sturdy settlers were informed of their approach, but 
resolved to maintain their ground. Some forty of 
them assembled at the village meeting-house, and 
were waiting for a reinforcement which was momen- 
tarily expected, when the British detachment ap- 
proached, with the Tories, dressed in the garb of 
settlers, in front. Deceived by their dress, the 
patriots supposed them to be friends, till they were 
about entering the village ; when, discovering their 
mistake, they leaped upon their horses and fled. 
The dragoons, however, dashed in among them, and 
captured eleven out of the forty. The two Jacksons 
were among the number who escaped. Andrew 
and his cousin. Lieutenant Crawford, kept together ; 
but, in galloping across a marshy field, the horse of 
the latter mired, and fell. Before he could recover 
himself, he was fired upon, wounded, and taken 
prisoner. Andrew kept on, and soon after encoun- 
tered his brother, when the two continued their 
flight to Cain Creek, on the banks of which, in a 
dense thicket, they concealed themselves till next 
morning. Crouching like hunted panthers in their 
place of retreat, the two brothers passed a long and 
anxious night, and watched the sun struggling up 
through the tree-toj)S with longing eyes. They, 
however, dared not venture out till late in the day ; 
but as hour after hour passed by, and they heard no 



214: ANDREW JACKSON. 

sounds of pursuit, tliej finally resolved to sally forth 
in search of food, which they had not tasted since 
twelve o'clock the day before. The house of their 
cousin, Lieut. Crawford, was near; and, leaving 
their horses tied in the thicket, they cautiously 
approached it. Unfortunately, a party of Tories 
had discovered their retreat, and immediately sm*- 
rounded the house. Resistance and escape were 
alike hopeless, and they surrendered themselves 
prisoners. A scene of ruifianism and brutality fol- 
lowed. The house was sacked, the furniture de- 
stroyed, the clothes of the inmates torn in pieces, 
and every indignity put on the family of Mrs. 
Crawford, without a word of rebuke from the 
British officer in command. The latter, cooly seat- 
ing himself, ordered Andrew to clean his boots. 
The fiery young republican, whose heart was swell- 
ing with suppressed wrath at the brutality he was 
compelled to witness, indignantly refused, when the 
dastardly officer struck at him with his sword. 
Andrew, throwing up his left arm to parry the 
blow, received it on his hand, which was nearly 
half severed. The officer then turned to the elder 
brother, Robert, and peremptorily commanded him 
to perform the menial service. Meeting with the 
same proud refusal, he, in his cowardly anger, laid 
open the head of the unarmed man with a sword- 



ins TEESENCE OF MIND. 215 

cut, inflicting a wound from wliicli tlie sufferer never 
recovered. 

After tliis exliibitiou of cowardice and ferocity, 
young Andrew, with liis liand gashed and still 
bleeding, was placed on a horse and ordered to lead 
the way to the house of Major Thompson, a gallant 
Whig. lie was told that if he flinched, or failed to 
do as he was directed, he would instantly be put to 
death. Forgetful of his wound, and scorning the 
threats of his captors, the noble boy thought only 
how he might save the American ofiicer. Fearing 
the latter might be at home, he resorted to a strata- 
gem, that seems marvellous in a lad only fourteen 
years of age. Surrounded by vindictive men — 
assailed with threats of vengeance, and bleeding 
fiist from a ghastly wound, he still rose superior to the 
fear with which man is able always to overcome a 
child, and self-collected and reserved, plotted in 
their very midst, how he might thwart their plans. 
Knowing if he took the direct route to the house, 
their approach would not be discovered till it was 
too late for the fugitive to escape, he made a wide 
detour, and crossing fields and traversing patches of 
woods, at length came in sight of the building from 
an eminence half a mile distant. As he cast his 
anxious eye down, he saw Thompson's horse tied 
near the house — a certain sign that the rider was 
within. The British dragoons immediately put 



216 ANDREW JACKSON. , 

spurs to tlieir steeds, and daslied forward. But 
before tliey could reach the dwelling, Andrew, to 
his inexpressible delight, saw Thompson rush out, 
leap into the saddle, plunge boldly into the creek 
near by, and swim to the opposite shore. The latter 
seeing the dragoons pause on the brink of the rapid 
stream, afraid to cross, turned and shouted back his 
curse and defiance, and then trotted leisurely away. 

Andrew and his brother, with some twenty others, 
were then placed upon horses, and started for 
Camden, forty miles distant. Ko food or water was 
allowed the prisoners during the whole route — ^the 
attempt even to snatch a handful of water from the 
streams they forded on the way, was resisted with a 
brutality that would put a savage to shame. Arriv- 
ing at Camden, they were thrust, with two or three 
hundred others, into the redoubt which surrounded 
the jail, and left, half naked, and their wounds un- 
dressed, to sufier and to die. Andrew was separated 
from his brother and Lieutenant Crawford, when 
their relationship was discovered, while, to add still 
more to the horrors of his confinement, nothing but 
the most disgusting bread was allowed him for food. 

One day as he sat by the entrance of his prison,"^ 
basking in the warm sunshine of a spring day, the 
officer of the guard, struck by his boyish appear- 
ance, began to question him. To his surprise, the 
high-spirited lad, instead of complaining and appeal- 



HOBKIKK HILL. 217 

ing to bis sympatli j, boldly denounced tbe treatment 
be and bis fellow-prisoners received, as inbuman, 
and unsoldierlike. A report was immediately made 
in tbe proper quarter, and meat was added to the 
rations, and comforts bitberto denied, were allowed. 
Wbile tbe boy bero was tbus counting tbe bonrs 
of bis weary prison-life, growing old before bis time, 
be beard tbat General Greene was advancing to at- 
tack Camden' — indeed was already encamped on 
Hobkirk Hill, only a mile from tbe town. Know- 
ing tliat a battle would soon be fongbt, be deter- 
mined, if possible, to witness it. From tbe eminence 
on wdiicb tbe jail stood, Hobkirk Hill, and Greene's 
encampment were in full view. But soon after tbe 
arrival of tbe American army, a bigli, tigbt plank 
fence was built around tbe redoubt, wbicb effectually 
sbut out all tbe surrounding country. Toung Jack- 
son, bowever, was not tbus to be foiled, and baving 
obtained an old razor, used by tbe prisoners to cut 
tbeir provisions, be, on tbe nigbt of tbe 24tli of 
April, commenced bis attack on tbe planks, Wbile 
tbe rest of tbe prisoners were wrapped in slumber, 
he worked away by the dim light of the stars, hour 
after hour, and at length towards morning, succeeded 
in loosening a knot. Applying his eye to the aper- 
ture thus made, be found, to bis infinite joy, tbat be 
bad a fine view of Greene's encampment. Tlie 
next morning, ascertaining that Rawdon was about 



218 ANDREW JACKSON. 

to issue fortli witL. all liis force, and attack tlie 
Americans in tlieir eutrencliments, lie mounted tlie 
redoubt, and placed liis eye at tlie knot-liole to watch 
tlie progress of events, wliile tlie prisoners gathered 
in a crowd below to hear his report. "What hopes 
and fears alternately shook that young bosom as he 
watched the English column slowly ascending the 
hill, making straight for the heart of the American 
encampment. His eye gleamed and his voice trem- 
bled, as he saw the American pickets and advanced 
guard rapidly driven in, but when he heard the 
artillery of Greene open, and beheld the descending 
wings of the American army swoop like an eagle, 
on the contracted flanks of the enemy, crushing 
them in their headlong charge, a cry of joy startled 
the listeners below. And again, as he caught a 
glimpse of Washington's cavalry about to burst on 
the rear, he believed the battle gained. But the 
sudden unexpected panic of the veteran Maryland 
regiment, made the tide of battle again set against 
the patriot army, and at length, with grief and an- 
guish unspeakable, he saw the latter rolled back, 
and disappear over the hill, while the English flag 
waved above the spot, where, in the morning, 
proudly floated the banner of his country. 

Tliat excited bov, watchino: from far the waveriuo- 
fortunes of his country — a group of prisoners stand- 
ing breathless below, gazing intently on his form, to 



HIS RELEASE. 219 

catcli every word tliat fell from liis lips, present one 
of the finest scenes to the imagination, which onr 
history aflbrds. Rebecca, leaning from the battle- 
mented castle, looking down on the tumultuous fight 
at the base, and reporting its progress to the wounded 
Ivanhoe, as he tossed on his impatient couch, does 
not exhibit so much the true sublime, as this young 
republican, watching the progress of freedom's bat- 
tle, and now in exultant and now in mournful ac- 
cents, reporting to the ragged, emaciated patients 
beneath him, its changes and its disastrous issiie. 

Soon after the retreat of Greene, young Jackson 
was surprised to hear that his mother was in town. 
From the moment her boys were taken prisoners, 
she had not ceased to devise means for their release. 
She had lingered round their prison walls, and 
prayed and wept in secret, over their fate. At 
length, through her influence, an exchange was ef- 
fected, and Andrew and liobert, together with five 
others, were set at liberty in return for thirteen 
British soldiers, who had been captured by a Whig, 
The sj^ectacle those two sons presented to their 
mother, was enough to break her Spartan heart. The 
wound in Robert's head had never been dressed, and 
he looked haggard and wan, while the faces of both 
showed that they were infected with the sinall-pox. 
The hospital was the proper place for them instead 
of the highway, still they resolved to start for their 



220 ANDREW JACKSON. 

home. Tliey had means only sufficient to procure 
two horses, one of which yvae, given to Mrs. Jack- 
son, while Robert was placed on the other, supported 
by his fellow-prisoners. Yomig Andrew trudged 
along on foot, with every vein in him swelling with 
the fever of disease. This sad, sick group, presented 
a sorrowful asj)ect, as past desolated dwellings, and 
deserted hamlets, they slowly travelled back to their 
homes. The second day, when within a few miles 
of the settlement, a sudden shower of rain overtook 
them, before they could reach shelter, which 
drenched the party to the skin, and drove the small- 
pox in on both the boys. They were immediately 
taken dangerously ill, and the disease combining 
with the putrid, undressed wound, brought on in- 
flammation of the brain in Robert, and in two days 
he was dead. Andrew became delirious, and no- 
thing but the constant care and nursing of his af- 
flicted mother, saved him from sharing the fate of 
his brother. 

lie had scarcely recovered his health, when this 
" mother of the Gracchi," forgetting her own sor- 
rows in the sufl'erings of her countrymen, resolved, 
with four or Ave other ladies, to go to Charleston, 
and succor, if possible, their neighbors, who were 
there confined on board a prison-ship. 

Her last surviving child demanded her attention 
and care at home, but she had long since placed 



HEKOIBM OF HIS MOTHEK. 221 

liim, witli lier otlier cliildren and lierself, on tlie 
altar of lier country, and the successive immolation 
of tlie victims could not swerve lier great lieart from 
the sacrifice. 

Taking witli tliem such supplies as they thought 
•would be needed, these noble women commenced 
their long, tedious journey of nearly two hundred 
miles, to Charleston. Ha\ang arrived there, they 
sought out the British commander, and asked per- 
mission to go on board the prison-ship, and attend 
to the sick. Inhuman as the conduct of the British 
had been, it was not in the heart of man to refuse 
this request, and it was granted. The stench and 
filth and malignant sickness that made that prison- 
ship like the crowded hold of a slaver in the horrors 
of the middle passage, could not repel these angels 
of mercy from their kindly ministerings. 

But Mrs. Jackson, weighed down with her heavy 
afflictions — having just risen from the grave of one 
son, and the sick bed of another — 'Was not in a con- 
dition to combat successfully the effects of the putrid 
atmosphere in which she moved. She took the 
fever which was raging among the prisoners, sick- 
ened, and died. Stranger hands placed her in an 
imknown grave, and though her son, in after years, 
could not do honor to her tomb, her memory has 
been enslu-ined in the hearts of millions. 

Young Andrew was now alone in the world. 



222 ANDREW JACKSON. 

Amid the utter desolation of liis fatlier's house, tlie 
oi-plian "boy stood and surveyed, with an anxious 
heart, the world before him. Through wdiat scenes 
of bloodshed, cruelty, ojjpression, and suffering ; 
through what grievous afflictions he had j^assed ! 
How they had developed his character and matured 
his mind before the time ; so, that although but a 
boy in years, he was a man in thought, energy, reso- 
lution, and resources. 

But as he contemplated the devastation that had 
swept his home, and left him alone in the world, he 
remembered the hand that had wi'ought it all. His 
father had been driven from the land of his nativity 
by English opj^ression ; one brother had died on 
the battle-field, nobly repelling English invasion ; 
another had sunk under English cruelty and barba- 
rity ; and, last of all, the mother he loved more than 
his life, had fallen a victim to English inhumanity, 
and been buried in an unknown, unhonored grave ; 
and no wonder there became planted in his heart an 
inextinguishable hatred of the English nation. It 
had run up a long and bloody score, which, with 
the accumulated interest of years, that orphan boy 
was yet to wipe out with one terrible blow, which 
should cover the British Isle with mourning. 

After the death of his mother, he went to live 
with Major Thomas Crawford, and, still later, en- 
tered the family of Mr. "White, an uncle of Mrs. 



VISITS CHARLESTON. 223 

Crawford. Camden having been evacnated by the 
enemy, the Waxhaw settlers were left unmolested. 
Many of the wealthiest citizens of Charleston, who 
jQed when the city was captured, had taken up their 
residence at Waxhaw, with whom young Jackson 
became intimate. This led to habits of dissipation, 
and he soon squandered the little patrimony left by 
the family. At the close of the war, these wealthy 
and gay companions returned to Charleston. Mount- 
ed on a splendid horse, the last of his property, 
Jackson soon followed them, to seek his fortune. 
In the hotel at which he stopped, he found some of 
them engaged in a game of dice. In the reckless- 
ness of spirit, which had characterized him since he 
departed from the counsels of his mother, he staked 
liis horse against a sum of money, and won. This 
sudden stroke of good fortune, instead of intoxicat- 
ing him, as it would have an ordinary character, 
sobered him. Tlie youthful follies to which all are 
subject, and which, in his case, were the result of 
his lonely condition, and the excitement they fur- 
nished him, were suddenly thrown aside, and he re- 
solved to change at once his whole course of life. 
Mounting his horse, he turned his head homeward, 
a wiser and a better youth. That long journey had 
not been in vain, for it had reformed him ; and, 
day after day, as he rode thoughtfully towards 
home, the past came back with fresh sorrow, and the 



224 ANDREW JACKSOJiT. 

gentle pressure of a motlier's influence was felt npon 
liis heart, and he resolved to devote himself to the 
profession to which in his infancy she had dedicated 
him. 

But after continuing his studies awhile, he changed 
his mind, and adopted the legal profession, as more 
congenial to his tastes. He removed to Salisbury, in 
his native State, where, in the winter of 1786, he was 
admitted to the bar. At this time, he was but nine- 
teen years of age, yet by his energy, good conduct, 
and superior ability, he soon won the confidence and 
esteem of the most influential men of the State, and 
two years after, without solicitation on his part, was 
appointed by the Governor solicitor for the western 
district of Carolina, now the State of Tennessee. 
Crossing the mountains to Jonesborough, he remained 
there several months. He then visited the settle- 
ments on the Cumberland, where he found that the 
debtors, who composed a large portion of the popula- 
tion, had monopolized the services of the only lawyer 
in their district, and thus tied up the hands of their 
creditors. Of course, the latter flocked around Jack- 
eon, and he issued seventy writs the morning after his 
arrival. The rude and fierce frontiers-men did not 
relish this interference with their plans, and they 
threatened liim with personal violence if he did not 
desist. This was the last mode to be adopted success- 
fully against such a man as Jackson, and he deter- 



CONTEST WITH A BULLY. 225 

mined at once to remain. There being no hotels or 
boarding-houses in the settlement, he, together with 
Judge Overton, took up his residence in the family of 
Mrs. Donelson, a widow, near Kashville. 

The animosity which his arrival had excited soon 
began to manifest itself in attempts to embroil him in 
quarrels, and thus drive him out of the country. Men 
who dared not attack the young Carolinian them- 
selves, hired bullies, noted for their physical strength, 
and brute courage, to do it for them. A flax-breaker 
— a huge, powerful man, of whom all the neighbor- 
hood stood in awe — was first set upon him. Advanc- 
ing in the full expectation of giving the young lawyer 
a sound drubbing, he was about to strike him, when 
the latter, whose rapid movements and almost ferocity 
of countenance when enraged, took the sturdiest 
fighter all aback, seized the bully's winding-blades, 
that lay near, and beat him over the head with such 
violence that the bruised and astonished fellow begged 
lustily for quarter. He expected a regular fist-fight, 
and not such a fierce and murderous attack. 

Not long after this, while he was attending court 
in Sumner County, a noted fighter, whom he had 
never seen before, deliberately walked up to him and 
trod on his feet. Jackson immediately seized a slab 
that lay by his side, and, sending the end full against 
the fellow's breast, bore him heavily to the earth. 
The crowd standing around them interfered and 



236 ANDREW JACKSON. 

6ej)arated them. But the baffled and enraged bully 
rushed to the fence, and, wrenching out a stake, came 
back on Jackson, swearing horribly, and threatening 
to dash out his brains. The crowd again attempted 
to interfere, when Jackson begged them to keep 
aloof, and let the villain come on. They immediately 
drew back ; when, with his slab poised like a spear, 
and his gleaming eye fixed on that of his antagonist, 
he fiercely advanced upon him. The terrified man 
gazed for a moment on that embodiment of wrath, 
then, throwing down his stake, leaped over the fence, 
and ran for the woods. Physical force he understood, 
and had been accustomed to meet ; but a human 
soul on fire with passion, was something new, and 
he dared not meet it. It was man taming a brutehy 
his eye. Some natures are capable of an excitement 
that would paralyze a weak man, while the features 
transmit the passion to the senses with such vividness, 
that the beholder recoils from the expression as he 
would from a blow. Jackson was one of those ; and 
when his excited soul flashed forth on his face, his 
brute antagonist forgot the slight frame before him ; 
— nay, it swelled into gigantic proportions in his 
sight. 

These efibrts to intimidate the young solicitor were 
soon abandoned ; for tliey found that the intimidation 
came from the other side. 

Jackson's business at this time often required his 



ESCAPES TnE mDIANS. 227 

presence in Jonesborough, two hundred miles dis- 
tant. The only road to the place was but a half- 
beaten path, and led, most of the way, through an 
unbroken wilderness. Sometimes alone, with a rifle, 
hunting-knife, and saddle-bags, and sometimes with 
companions, he performed this tedious journey, which 
was frequently attended with great peril. Large 
bodies of Indians, acknowledging no sovereignty of 
the white man, then roamed unmolested the vast 
forests that covered the fertile plains of Tennessee ; 
and it often required great care and skill to avoid 
being captured by them. 

On one occasion, as Jackson, with three com- 
panions was returning from Jonesborough, he reached 
one night, a little after dark, the east bank of the ■ 
river Emory. Looking across, he saw on the opposite 
side the camp-fire of a large body of Indians. Imme- 
diately drawing back, and bidding his companions 
keep silence, he directed them to turn up stream, and, 
leaving the road in different places, so as to make 
three different trails, hurry on as fast as possible. 
They proceeded in this way for some time, and then 
reunited, and pushed eagerly forward all night and 
next day till two o'clock in the afternoon. At length, 
arriving at a point in the river where the current was 
not so raj^id, Jackson resolved to cross. A raft of 
rough logs was soon constructed, on which the rifles, 
ammunition, baggage, &c., were placed. Jackson, 



228 ANDREW JACKSON. 

with one of his companions, was first to carry these 
across, and then return for the horses. The place he 
had selected was just below the foot of one cataract, 
and near the brink of another. But no sooner was 
the raft pushed adrift than it swept rapidly down 
stream, with a force the two navigators strove in vain 
to check. Finding they were driving steadily towards 
the brink of the cataract, Jackson wrenched loose one 
of the long rude oars he had constructed, and, rush- 
ing to the stern, reached one end to the bank, down 
which his terrified companions were running, and 
bade them seize and pull with all their might. They 
did so ; and the raft struck the shore just as it was 
entering on the rapids above the waterfall. On being 
reproved by his companions for his carelessness, Jack- 
son smiled, and replied : " A miss is as good as a 
mile. You see how near I can graze danger. Come 
on : — I will save you yet." 

They continued on up stream, and next day, cross- 
ing at a ford, reached Nashville in safety. 

At another time, he appointed a rendezvous with 
a party with whom he w^as to cross the wilderness ; 
but being delayed by business, he did not arrive at 
the place till they had been gone nearly a day. Re- 
solved, however, not to be left behind, he took with 
him a guide and travelled all night, and early in the 
morning came upon the smouldering camp fires 
around which they had slept. He was still pressing 



PURSUED BY INDIANS. 229 

forward, -wlien suddenly lie discovered tlie trail of 
quite a body of Indians, evidently in pursuit of liis 
unsuspecting friends aliead. Kotliing daunted, he 
kept on till lie had nearly overtaken the savages. 
Tlie guide then became alarmed, and refused to pro- 
ceed further. Jackson coolly divided his provisions 
with him, and told him to return. Resolved that 
his fellow-travellers sliould not perish while there 
remained the least chance of his warning them of 
their danger, he continued cautiously to advance, re- 
volving a thousand schemes Iiow he should circum- 
vent the savages. Presently he saw the trail turn 
oif to the right. 'It flashed over him at once that 
they were endeavoring to get in advance, and lay in 
ambush for the unsuspecting party. He immedi- 
ately gave spurs to his horse, and at length, a little 
before dark, came in sight of his friends encamjDed 
on the ojjposite bank of a deep and half-frozen 
stream. Their fires were already kindled for the 
night, and their clothes and baggage spread out to 
dry. As they heard the plashing of his horse in 
the water, they sprang to their feet in alarm ; but 
at sight of the intrepid young Carolinian, a joyful 
shout of welcome went up from the whole camp. 
The tidings he brought, however, soon dissipated 
their gladness ; and in a few minutes the horses 
were re-saddled, and the whole party was straining 
forward through the wilderness. They kept on all 
12 



230 ANDEEW JACKSON". 

niglit without lialting, and wlien dayliglit appeared, 
urged their jaded beasts to still greater speed. The 
day, however, was almost as gloomy as the night ; 
the sky was overcast ; not a breath of air disturbed 
the lofty tree-tops mider which they passed, and that 
ominous silence which precedes a storm brooded over 
the solitude. 

At length the welcome sight of the log cabins of 
some hunters met their view, and they felt that pro- 
tection from the Indians, and shelter from the ap- 
proaching storm, were at last before them ; but to 
their surprise and grief, and Jackson's indignation, 
both were refused them, and they were compelled to 
push on, and bivouac in the forest. Jackson, who 
had not slept for two nights, wrapped his blanket 
around him, and throwing himself on the ground, 
was soon fast asleep. Soon after, the snow began to 
descend, silent and soft, on the sleepers, and when 
the young solicitor opened his eyes in the morning, 
he found himself covered six inches deep. 

The Indians, when they discovered they had been 
baffled in their attempt to get in advance, pressed 
forward in pursuit, till they arrived at the cabins of 
the hunters, who had treated Jackson and his party 
so churlishly. Being met with the same inhos- 
pitality, a fight ensued, and the hunters were all 
massacred. 

In these trips from Nashville to Jonesborough, 



ins cnivALEY. 231 

Jackson's coiirage and presence of mind were con- 
stantly i^nt to the proof, and lie went through an ex- 
cellent training- for his after career in the war with 
the Creeks. 

At this time he was in the full bloom of youth. 
Athletic, fearless, impetuous ; filled with chivalric 
feeling ; ever ready to succor the needy, his reputa- 
tion spread far and wide among the settlers. If a 
band of needy emigrants from the eastern slope re- 
quired assistance on their way, he was the first to 
volunteer to go to their aid ; and if an expedition 
was fitted out against a tribe of marauding Indians, 
he was the first to the rendezvous, and first in the 
assault on the hostile towns. Tlie savages feared 
liim, and gave him the name of " Sharp Knife " 
and " Pointed Arrow." 

On one occasion he was accompanying a party of 
travellers from Nashville to Lexington, among whom 
was a lady going to join her husband. The inter- 
vening country was then a wilderness, which ren- 
dered it dangerous to travel except in parties of some 
size. Tlie second night after they had started, the 
lady was taken so unwell that in the morning she 
was unable to proceed. The party, however, had no 
idea of stopping there till she recovered, and were 
preparing to depart without her. Jackson remon- 
strated wath them against the brutality of leaving a 
woman unprotected in the wilderness. A son, who 



232 ANDEEW JACKSON. 

had been nurtured bj sucli a motlier as watclied 
over bis childhood, would never desert a woman in 
distress though a thousand deaths stared him in the 
face. To his amazement, his apj)eals were received 
with cool indifference or silent contempt ; and by 
their conduct they plainly told him he had better 
mind his own business. Tlie whole nature of Jack- 
son was suddenly aroused ; his eye flashed lire, and 
seizing his riflcj he levelled it, swearing that he 
would shoot dead the first man who dared set foot 
in stirrup. Every feature of his countenance ex- 
pressed the determination of his heart, and his well- 
known character forbade trifling. They then con- 
sented to remain a day, at the end of which time 
the lady was able to proceed. 

At this period of his life, an event occurred which 
caused considerable excitement at the time, and 
many years after was the fruitful source of much 
slander and abuse. Mrs. Donelson, with whom 
Jackson boarded, had a daughter distinguished for 
her beauty of person, and engaging manners. She 
had married a Mr. Robards, whose character jDroved 
to be worthless and vile. After bearing patiently, 
for a long time, his violent outbursts of temper, and 
made to suffer from his vicious course of life, she 
left him, and returned to her mother. Jackson and 
Judge Overton occupied a cabin by themselves, but 
took their meals with the family of Mrs. Donelson. 



* JEALOUSY OF ROBAEDS. 233 

It was, tlierefore, natural and proper, that Jackson, 
then a jonng man, should become charmed with tlie 
society of Mrs. Kobards. A reconciliation having 
l)een eifected by Judge Overton, between her and 
her husband, the latter came to JSTashville, and 
prepared to settle down as a farmer. His jealousy, 
however, was soon aroused by the intimacy that ex- 
isted between Jackson and his wife, and caused 
much unhappiness in the family. Jackson being 
informed of it, changed his boarding place, hoping 
by this means, to allay the excitement. The state 
of things, however, not improving, he went frankly 
to Mr. Robards, and remonstrated with him on his 
causeless jealousy. I>ut nothing could satisfy the 
suspicious husband, and he abruptly left, declaring 
he should never return. Mrs. Kobards, indignant 
at the treatment she had received, and the implica- 
tion cast upon her character, resolved that the separa- 
tion should be final. IS^ot long after, being informed 
that he intended to return, and take her to Kentucky, 
she determined to accom^^any Colonel Stark, an 
elderly , gentleman, and his family to Natchez, in 
order to avoid him. The colonel, fearful of the In- 
dians, requested Jackson to pilot him through the 
wilderness. As the latter was almost constantly 
called upon to perform this duty for other travellers 
and emigrants, he did not see why he should refuse 
in this case, and he therefore accomjDanied them. 



234 ANDREW JACKSOISr. 

This was unwise, and strengtliened the suspicious 
that had ah-eady been whispered about. There is 
no doubt that he felt the attraction of a young and 
fascinating woman, and it is very probable she pre- 
ferred the high-minded, chivalric Jackson, to her 
own vicious, cruel, and heartless husband. She 
ought to have done so at all events, but there was 
never the shadow of proof of criminality, and it 
would not have been safe for any one to have said 
so openly within a hundred miles of where Jackson 
lived. 

Robards being confirmed in his suspicions, by this 
departure of his wife under the j^i'otection of Jack- 
son, a^jplied to the Legislature of Virginia for a 
divorce, — at least such was the report, — and Jackson, 
on his return to ^Nashville, was told that the appeal 
had been granted. Resolved at once to vindicate 
the character of an injured lady, from the aspersion 
this divorce cast upon it, and at the same time to 
show the high estimation in which he held her, — 
promj^ted, no doubt, too, by his feelings — he imme- 
diately returned to Natchez, and offered himself to 
her. At first she refused him, but afterwards, over- 
come by his importunity and ardor, she relented, 
and they were married in the fall. To some the 
marriage was damning proof of guilt, while others 
saw in it the evidence of an attachment which had 
never been sullied by any outward improj^er act. 



MARRIES MRS. EOBARDS. 235 

It was one of tliose iiiifortunate occurrences whicli 
would be misconstrued, wliatever tlie termination 
might be. 

But tliere was anotlier feature in this affair which 
chagrined Jackson much. On his return with the 
bride to Nashville, he discovered that the act which 
had passed the Virginia legislature, was simply one 
granting permission to bring a suit for divorce in 
Kentucky, and not a hill of divorce. lie had mar- 
ried the wife of another man, to whom she was 
still bound by her marital vows. Luckily for him, 
however, the suit which had been brought in Ivcn- 
tucky just then terminated in favor of Eobards, and 
the divorced wife was free. Jackson immediately 
took out a license, and was married over again. 

Thus ended an aifair Mdiicli has since been so much 
distorted. The results to Jackson were of the hap- 
piest kind. The meek and genlle nature of his wife 
was just adapted to his impetuous, stormy, and yet 
frank and generous spirit, and they lived long and 
happily together. 

Notwithstanding llic scandal and excitement which 
this aftair had created, Jackson continued to increase 
in popularity and influence. Tennessee had been 
set off into a territory, of wliich he was appointed 
attorney-general. In 1T9G, when it was erected into 
a state, he was elected a member of the convention 
to frame a constitution. Tlie next year he was chosen 



236 ANDREW JACKSON. 

representative of Congress, and tlie year after, sena- 
tor of the United States. lie took liis seat in No- 
vember, but tlie following April, asked leave of 
absence, and returned home. Soon after, he sent in 
liis resignation to tlie Legislature, which immediately 
appointed him Supreme Judge of the State, an ap- 
pointment which he had not solicited, and which he 
accepted with gi-eat reluctance. He distrusted his 
own abilities for such a station, being then but 
thirty-one years of age. But, however much he 
might be wanting in experience, he possessed some 
qualities exactly adapted to the rude and lawless 
inhabitants of the frontiers. One thing was certain, 
that law in his hands would not be a mere bit of 
parchment, nor its decisions allowed to be disre- 
garded. This was of vital importance in a new 
country, w^here threats and violence often turned 
aside the course of justice, and w^eakened respect for 
the mandates of law. 

His first court was held in Jonesborough, where 
his executiveness was strikingly developed. Among 
other cases to be tried, was that of a ruffianly fellow, 
named Russell Bean, who, in a drunken fit, had cut 
oif the ears of his infant child. He was a powerful, 
ferocious villian, and disdaining to flee, proudly pa- 
raded the court-yard, daring the sheriff to seize him. 
The latter, fearing to approach him, reported in court 
that "Russell Bean wovdd not be taken," Judge 



DARING AKEEST. 237 

Jackson, witli an emphasis now seldom tised in court, 
rebuked the slieriif, and peremptorily ordered the 
arrest to be made, and if necessary to " summon tlie 
jjosse cotnitatusy 

Soon after, tlie court adjourned for dinner ; and, 
in the meantime, tlie sheriff summoned his '■'■jjosse 
comitatus^'' and among them the jxidges themselves. 
The sherifi', doubtless, thought that they would re- 
fuse to obey the summons, and he would thus avoid 
the danger of attempting to arrest this armed and 
desperate man. lie, however, very much miscalcu- 
lated as to one of the judges ; for Jackson, when tlie 
sherilf had finished reading his summons, coolly re- 
plied, " Very well, sir, I will attend you, and see 
that you do your dutyP 

Taking up a loaded pistol, he walked to the court- 
yard, where Bean stood, with a brace of pistols in 
his hands, and a dirk in his bosom. Fixing his eye 
on him, he said to the sheriff, " Advance and arrest 
him ; I will protect you from harm." Bean, how- 
ever, firmly stood his ground ; the sheriff hesitated, 
not liking the prospect of a ball through his body. 
Jackson observing the cowardice of the sheriff", 
sternly advanced upon Bean, when the latter began 
to retreat. " Stop," thundered Jackson, " and sub- 
mit to the law," Tlie bold borderer instantly threw 
down his pistols, exclaiming, "I will surrender to 
you, sir, but to no one else." Jackson might havo 



238 ANDREW JACKSON. 

Bpared liimself tlie troiTble of evolving tlie majesty 
of the law ; it was not tlie law the fellow was afraid 
of, but the inan^ who was never known to flinch from 
danger, or turn back from his purpose. 

With such a representative, law soon became 
an object of fear, and the turbulent spirits that had 
heretofore defied its power, were tamed into submis- 
sion. 

This sudden, yet firm decision was one of Jack- 
son's peculiar characteristics. Men who make up 
their minds on the issue of the moment, are aj^t to 
hesitate in a crisis which includes life and. death. 
Not so with Jackson. His mobile nature was easily 
flung into a tumult of excitement ; but when there, 
it became rigid as iron. Quick to decide, action 
followed decision, as the bolt follows the lightning's 
flash. 

He possessed another peculiarity not commonly 
found among men. His excitements, though so high 
and terrible, were not transient gleams ; but perma- 
nent as the object that created them. A less hardy 
frame would have sunk under them. 

Li 1803, a difliculty occurred between him and 
Governor Sevier, who was candidate for re-election. 
Tlie quarrel was taken up by Sevier's political friends, 
and many threats of vengeance w^ere uttered against 
Jackson, This feeling was very strong in Jonesbo- 
roiigh, and when in the fall he proceeded thither to 



attackt:d by a mob. 239 

liold his regnlar court, a mob was organized, witK 
Colonel Harrison at its liead, to tar and feather him. 
Jackson having been taken sick on the way, arrived 
with a high fever upon him ; and, scarcely able to 
dismount, retired to his room, and flung himself upon 
the bed. In a short time, the mob being notified of 
his arrival, assembled round the tavern. Being told 
the object of their assembling, Jackson arose, and 
throwing open his door, said to a friend, " Give my 
compliments to Colonel Harrison, and tell him my 
door is open to receive him and his regiment when- 
ever they choose to wait upon me ; and I hope the 
colonel's chivalry will induce him to lead his men, 
Wi^ifoUoio them." The hint was understood ; every 
individual of that mob well knew that the floor of 
that chamber would swim in blood with the first at- 
tempt to cross the threshold of the open door. No 
one liking to be the first to encounter Jackson, the 
crowd quietly dispersed. Harrison apologised for 
his rudeness, and ever after by his attachment evinced 
his regret. 

But not long after, while holding court at Kuox- 
ville, Jackson came in collision with Sevier himself. 
Leaving the court-room one day, he found the gover- 
nor in front of the building, haranguing in an excited 
manner a crowd of men, and swino-iu."- his naked 
sword about as if cutting oft" the heads of imaginary 
foes. No sooner did the latter observe Jackson ap- 



240 AKDEEV^' JACKSOX. 

jiroacliing than lie turned fiercely upon liim, and 
addressed liim witli oatiis and insults. Tlie latter 
retorted, and a fierce fight of words ensued. The 
result of it was, Jackson sent the governor a chal- 
lenge, which he accepted, but deferred the time of 
meeting so often, that the former at length published 
him as a coward. This brought things apparently 
to a crisis, and an informal meeting was agreed on, 
just over the Indian boundary. Jackson repaired to 
the place, and waited two days for his opponent. 
He then wrote a letter, stating the nature and ground 
of the quarrel, and set out for Knoxville, determined 
that it should be adjusted in some way or other. He 
had not proceeded far, however, wdien he met the 
governor, accompanied by twenty men, on horse- 
back. Halting in front of this formidable array, he 
sent forward his friend with the letter he had pre- 
pared. The governor refused to receive it, which 
threw Jackson into a paroxysm of j)assion. The for- 
mer was armed with a brace of pistols and a sword ; 
Jackson also had a pair of pistols in his holsters, but 
without thinking of these more deadly weapons, he 
no sooner saw the letter returned, and heard the in- 
sjilt that accompanied it, than he set his cane, which 
he held in his hand in rest, and plunging the spurs 
into his horse, dashed full on the governor and his 
band. Tlie company parted to the right and left in 
dismay, and the astounded governor, seeing the 



BECOMES A FARMER. 241 

maddened steed rusliiiig full upon liim, leaped from 
the saddle to avoid tlie sliock. In doing so, he trod 
on his scabbard and stumbled. In a moment Jack- 
son was upon him, and but for the interposition of 
friends woidd have punished him severely. 

This ended the duel, and the parties separated, if 
not good friends, at least peaceable enemies. 

The next year Jackson resigned his judgeship, 
and, tired of the turmoil and vexations of public life, 
bought a farm ten miles from ]Srashville, on the 
Cumberland Iliver, and devoted himself to agricul- 
tural pursuits. Beloved by his neighbors— rever- 
enced for his integrity, decision, and kindness — 
blessed with a wife who tilled his home with sun- 
light, he passed his days serenely, and coveted no 
higher honor than that of a successful farmer. Early 
in the morning he was out on his farm, looking at 
his stock and superintending the laborers, and 
evening found him enjoying the sweets of domestic 
comfort. lie took more pride in his stock than in 
his crops, and had an especial passion for horses. 
Nor -was this strange ; he had scarcely been off the 
back of one since he was thirteen years old. The 
horse had been his companion in long and perilous 
marches, and often the only one, for days together, 
in the boundless forest. To his sure feet and cour- 
age he had more than once been indebted for his 
life, both on the mountain side and in breasting the 



242 ANDREW JACKSON. 

rapid stream. For f<3rty-eight liours on a stretch, 
witlioiit food or rest, his noble steed had borne him, 
when hard beset, and no wonder he became attached 
to him. He delighted in blooded animals, and im- 
ported many from North Carolina and Virginia. 
This naturally led to trials of speed and bottom on the 
race-course, where large sums often changed hands. 
This custom, so beneficial in improving the breed 
of horses, but so pernicious to the morals of men, 
led to one of the most painful events of Jackson's 
life. He had a favorite horse named Truxton, dis- 
tinguished for his speed and endurance. A match 
was made between him and a horse owned by a Mr. 
Erwin and his son-in-law Charles Dickinson, of two 
thousand dollars, with a forfeiture of eight hundred 
dollars, in case of the withdrawal of either party. 
On the course, Mr. Erwin and his son-in-law with- 
drew their horse, and offered to pay the forfeit. The 
notes tendered, however, were not cash notes, and 
Jackson refused to receive them, claiming the right 
to select from the list in the hands of the stake- 
holder. This was granted, the j^ayment received, 
and the affair settled. Kot long after, however, 
Dickinson was told that Jackson had accused his 
ftither-in-law of producing a false list. This the 
latter denied, when the author's name was given. 
It was then proposed to call him in, but Dickinson 
would not consent. Jackson, meeting the slanderer 



DUEL WITU DICKINSOJT. 243 

not long afterwards, gave liim tlie lie, and a fist- 
fight followed. 

Notwitlistanding all this, either through the reck- 
lessness of Dickinson, who was a loose character, a 
trader in blacks and horses, and a professed duellist, 
or, through the persuasion of Jackson's enemies, 
who thought this an opportunity of getting rid of a 
man they feared and hated, not to be omitted, the 
quarrel was kept alive. Severe and insulting letters 
were published in the papers, and language used 
which exasperated both parties to the highest de- 
gree. At length, Jackson was informed that a letter, 
charging him among other things with cowardice, 
was in the hands of an editor. lie immediately 
mounted his horse, and in a tempest of passion rode 
to Nashville, and demanded a sight of it. Finding 
his information correct, he sent Dickinson a fierce 
challenge, and insisted on an immediate meeting. 
The latter, however, deferred it for a week, and 
spent the intermediate time in practising at Jack- 
son's figure chalked out on a b<^ard. This was 
hardly necessary, for he was a dead shot, and was 
certain to hit his antagonist if he fired. It was 
arranged that they should stand back to back, move 
off a certain distance, wheel, and then approach and 
fire as soon or as late as either party chose. Dickin- 
son had insisted on this mode of fighting, so as to 
get the first fire, or call forth Jackson's before he 



244 ANDREW JACKSON. 

liad approaclied sufficiently near to make it danger- 
ous. His own practice liad Leen perfect, and lie 
knew lie could strike liis antagonist at a distance 
the latter would scarcely attempt to fire if he kept 
cool. Jackson understood this manceuvre, and had 
made up his mind to be shot. He wore a frock coat 
on the field, which he threw hack over his shoulders. 
At the word given they walked away, wheeled, and 
advanced towards each other. Soon after, Dickin- 
son fired. Jackson staggered a moment as he felt 
the ball enter him, but the next moment he drew 
his coat around him to staunch the blood, and walk- 
ing deliberately up to his foe, shot him dead. It 
was a bloody deed, and though sanctioned by the 
custom of the times, to which so many of our best 
men have fallen victims, it was a crime for which 
no apology should be ofiered. By nature Jackson 
was a man of terrible passions, and in this instance 
they had been aroused into tenfold fury, by the in- 
justice that refused the reconciliation he sought, 
and by the conviction that a sense of injury did not 
lay at the bottom of the tpiarrel, but the deliberate 
desire and determination to take his life. The 
friends of Dickinson were resolved to provoke him, 
BO that he must challenge his adversary or leave the 
country, and thus give to the latter the choice of time 
and mode of meeting. The plan was well laid and 
succeeded perfectly in every respect, except that the 



HIS FAILURE. 245 

ball did not happen to reach a vital spot. It entered 
the breast, shattered two of his ribs, then lodged in 
his side, where it remained for years. lie, however, 
mounted his horse and rode twenty miles before his 
second discovered that he had been shot, and then 
only by seeing the blood ooze from his garments. He 
must have been in an extraordinary state of mind, to 
have borne all this in silence so long. Were his 
thoughts busy with the man he had slain ? Had he 
Teft his fierce hate on the field where his enemy lay 
weltering in his gore, and was remorse now gnawing 
at his heart, and conscience whispering in his ear, 
" You will meet that foe again beyond the tomb ?" 

There w^ere rumors of unfairness in the fight, &c. ; 
but these died away, and men spoke in astonishment 
of the steadiness of nerve which so seve^'e and painful 
a wound could not even for a moment shake. 

Jackson, after some weeks, resumed his agricul- 
tural i3ursuits, and not long after entered as silent 
partner in a mercantile house in Nashville. Placing 
entu'e confidence in his partner, he trusted everything 
to his sagacity and honesty. Things went on smooth- 
ly for awhile; but at length it was discovered that 
the house was insolvent. It could not pay its debts 
by some thousands of dollars. The concern was 
closed at once, and Jackson, with that high sense of 
honor and justice, which had so often entangled 
liim in quarrels among lawless men, immediately 



240 ANDREW JACKSON. 

sold Lis fine plantation on the Cumberland, parted 
with his favorite stock, paid ofi' the debts of the 
house to the last cent, and retired to a log cabin to 
begin the world anew. 

Prompt to redress the wrongs of others as well as 
his own, he won the esteem of all upright men. Such 
a man is not to be measured by ordinary rules. A 
positive executive character like his must be ave- 
raged to be treated justly. Impelled by passion, he 
may at times commit deeds on which the staid mor- 
alist looks with horror ; but it must be remembered, 
too, that he would breast danger, venture his life for 
others, and undergo privations, toils, and sufferings, 
from which that same moralist would shrink in 
affright. The good in such a man must be made to 
balance the bad. The departures from the common 
track of life from hotli sides must be taken, before 
the balance against him is struck. lie must be 
credited as well as charged in the book of common 
morals before one is able to decide how he stands. 
This is the only just rule, and by it Jackson would 
stand head and shoulders above most of those who 
have condemned him. 

By his industry and perseverance, he soon recov- 
ered from his embarrassments, and became a flour- 
ishing farmer again. Having occasion to go to Kat- 
chez after some blacks for his plantation, he found at 
the station of the United States' agent, among the 



DEFENDS TITE \VRONGED. 24T 

Cboctaws, by wliicli his road passed, several families 
of emigrants detained because thej bad no passports 
from tbe governor of Mississij^pi. In tbe meantime, 
tbe agent was selling tbem provisions at an exorbi- 
tant price, and making tbem work for him at a very 
low one. Indignant at this outrage, he demanded of 
the agent how he dared thus to arrest a free Ameri- 
can on tbe public road. Taking the matter in his 
own hands, he told the frightened emigrants to gear 
up their teams, and follow him. The agent fumed 
and threatened ; hut seeing Jackson well armed, 
dared not interfere. He, however, determined to be 
revenged on the latter wdieu he returned, and armed 
some fifty men to arrest him, unless he came forti- 
fied w'itli a passport. Jackson heard of this, and his 
friends advised him to procure one ; but he indig- 
nantly refused, declaring it Avas a humiliation no 
American freeman should submit to. Arming his 
negroes witli axes and clubs, while he himself car- 
ried a loaded rifle and two pistols at his saddle-bow, 
he approached the station. The agent came forth, 
and asked if he intended to show his passport. 
" That depends on circumstances^'^ replied Jackson, 
as he carelessly swung his rifle so as to bring the 
muzzle where it could look the agent full in the 
face. The latter understood what circumstances, 
and the kind of 2')assport alluded to, and wisely let 
him pass on. 



2-48 ANDREW JACKSON. 

lie afterwards reported tlie agent to the govern- 
ment, and tlie latter was removed. His liatred ot 
wrong and oppression was intense, and thongli bis 
way of defending the injured was not always strictly 
legal, it must be remembered that no other mode 
of redress was ojDen to him. 

Jackson bad scarcely reached home, when be re- 
ceived a letter from Governor Carroll, requesting 
bim to act as second, in a duel between him and a 
brother of Colonel Benton. He could not Avell re- 
fuse him, but Colonel Benton, who was also intimate 
with Jackson, took it unkindly, and spoke bitterly 
of him. A bitter corresjjondence in the papers fol- 
lowed, and some time afterwards, meeting at a pub- 
lic house in Nashville, a most desperate, murderous 
light took i:»lace, in which Jackson had his arm 
broken and mutilated by a pistol-ball. The estrange- 
ment which followed, was afterwards healed, and 
they became fast friends. 

Through such rough scenes of war and boi'der- 
life, was Jackson trained for the high responsibilities 
which were to be placed on him. He had not been 
indiiferent to the oppressive acts of the English gov- 
ernment, and his voice was loud for immediate re- 
dress. At length the long-surcharged clouds burst, 
war was declared, and the mustering of arms was 
beard over the land. 

The war of 1812 opened with the cowardly sur- 



BECOMES GENEEj\L. 249 

render of Hull, at Detroit. Instantly tlie whole 
western country rose in arms, to revenge the insult, 
and wipe out the disgrace. An army of ten thou- 
sand men was organized, and put under General 
Winchester, who was soon after ranked by General 
Harrison. Jackson, among others, had volunteered 
his services, and petitioned for the post which was 
assigned to Winchester. Through the influence of 
the member of Congress from that district, the for- 
mer was preferred ; and taking command of his 
division, ended his short campaign with the massa- 
cre at the river liaisin. Had Jackson commanded 
those brave Kentuckians, that massacre, which 
clothed so many families in mourning, would never 
have taken place ; and in all probability, the whole 
character of the Northern war been changed. He 
resolved, however, not to remain idle, and issuing a 
patriotic and spirited address to the young men of 
the State, he soon saw twenty-five hundred volun- 
teers llock to his standard. 

He immediately offered his services to the Gene- 
ral Government, which were thankfully accej^ted, 
and he was ordered to proceed down the Mississippi 
to defend the southern frontier, then threatened by 
the enemy. As soon as he could collect his ])rovi- 
eions, means of transportation, &c., he set out. It 
was the middle of winter, and a bitter cold day, 



250 ANDREW JACKSON. 

wlien this band of volunteers embarked on the Ohio 
for Natchez.' 

General Jackson started on his Southern expedi- 
tion the 7th of January. The next day, General 
Winchester, his successful rival, led his doomed 
column through the snow-filled forest towards the 
river Raisin, where it was to sink for ever in blood. 

ISTot long after Jackson's arrival at Katchez, all 
danger of an attack in that quarter disappeared, and 
he received orders from the Secretary of War to dis- 
band his troops, and deliver over the public property 
to General Wilkinson, commanding the regular army 
in that district. 

At the time this order amved, there w^ere a hun- 
dred and fifty men on the sick list, nearly sixty of 
whom were confined to their beds. Should the 
army be disbanded, these would be left uncared for, 
w^hile many of the sound troops, being without 
money, could not possibly return home. This was 
known to Wilkinson, who evidently had induced 
this order from the ignorant, ineflicient Secretary of 
War, for the sole purpose of compelling those of the 
volunteers who were without the means of subsis- 
tence to enlist in the regular army. But General 
Jackson was never known to desert a man in dis- 
tress ; his whole nature awoke at the call of pity, 
and, come what would, he resolved not to leave those 
sick soldiers, nor the destitute well ones, till he had 



DISOBEYS THE GOVERNMENT. 251 

seen tliem safe back to the homes from which he 
had taken them. Trusting in his well-known chrac- 
ter and in his word, pledged to them when they 
gathered to his standard, that he would never desert 
them, they had cheerfully followed him to the South, 
and to abandon them destitute in that then remote 
region, would be an act of barbarity unworthy of a 
commander and of a man. 

Many of the invalids were young men, sons of his 
neighbors and friends, and they no sooner heard of 
the order that had been received, than they sent for 
him, and half-rising from their sick couches, prayed 
him, with tears, not to forsake them. They reminded 
him of his promise, and appealed to his honor. 
Tliis was not needed ; his heart had already fixed 
his determination ; — those brave young men he 
would watch over and protect, even though his act 
of disobedience should bring on him the vengeance 
of the Government. 

The field-officers coincided with him, wdien he 
made his resolution known to them ; but at night 
they held a secret meeting, in which it was resolved 
to remonstrate against the course he was pursuing, 
and recommend immediate obedience to the order 
of the Secretary of War. But Jackson was a man 
whom opposition only fixed firmer in his resolution, 
and the accumulation of difficulties and embarrass- 
ments roused to still higher exertions and greater 



252 ANDREW JACKSON. 

sacrifices. Wlien tliis remonstrance was read to 
liim, lie burst into a torrent of indignation, charged 
home on tlie timorous officers deceit and duplicity, 
and heaped reproaches on them for wishing to leave 
the destitute and sick soldiers to want, while they 
themselves had horses and money with which to re- 
turn. He told them, in conclusion, that no power 
on earth could alter his purpose, and bade them pre- 
pare at once to march. In the meantime, he de- 
spatched to the Secretary a full and frank account 
of the matter, detailing all the circumstances, and 
his own conduct. 

General Wilkinson, hearing of Jackson's deter- 
mination, wrote him a letter of solemn expostulation, 
in winch he depicted the awful consequences of dis- 
obeying the General Government. The latter very 
curtly replied that he knew what he was about, 
and was willing to take the responsibility. Antici- 
pating the fulfilment of the Secretary's order, the 
former had sent officers to recruit from the volun- 
teers the moment they were disbanded. Tliis was 
reported to Jackson, who immediately issued orders 
to arrest and place in confinement, the first officer 
who entered the encampment for that purpose. In 
the meantime, he directed the quartermaster to pro- 
vide wagons for the transjDortation of the sick and the 
baggage. The latter dared not disobey, but played 
tlie laggard so well, that not a team was sent in 



CAllE OF THE SICK. 253 

till the niglit previous to tlie morning appointed to 
marcli. Only eleven wagons then arrived, and these 
were discharged at once by the quartermaster. But 
Jackson was a dangerous man to play tricks upon, 
and preremptorily ordering the unfaithful officer 
from his presence, he seized the wagons, and com- 
menced loading. The sick, one after another, were 
handed out under his personal inspection, and made 
as comfortable as the means in his possession al- 
lowed. 

At last all but one was stowed away, whom the 
surgeon reported in a dying condition, and too far 
gone to be removed. " Kot a man shall be left who 
has life in him," replied Jackson ; " bring him care- 
fully out." The young man, apparently just on the 
verge of death, and wholly unconscious of what was 
passing about him, was lifted into the wagon, and 
the column turned its face homeward. Jackson had 
given up his own horse to a feeble soldier ; and, with 
his stern, and fiery heart beating with all a father's 
affection for the sick youths who had volunteered to 
fight and die by his side, trudged on foot amid the 
wagons containing the invalids, bestowing words of 
comfort, and cheering up the desponding with the 
promise of soon seeing home and friends. Ever and 
anon he was seen falling back from the head of the 
column, or hastening up from the rear to the wagon 
containing the young soldier who was suj^posed to 
13 



254 AJvDKEW JACKSOiS'. 

be dying. For a long time tlie poor invalid lay in- 
sensible ; but being at length aroused by the heavy 
jolting of the wagon over the uneven road, he opened 
his eyes, and gazing vaguely about him, faintly mur- 
mured, " "Where am I ?" Jackson, who was watch- 
ing with parental interest the first dawning of 
reason, replied in glad tones, " On, your way home, 
my good fellow." That word " home " reached the 
sources of life, and from that moment he began to 
improve ; and at length the kind-hearted commander 
had the satisfaction of presenting him restored to 
his family. 

Jackson on foot, wading through the swamps, and, 
day after day, toiling along the miry roads, an ex- 
ample of heroism, self-denial, and tenderness, seems 
an entirely different person from Jackson in the ex- 
citement and carnage of battle. But, in this respect, 
he was like Marshal Ney, possessing a heart which 
the world in arms could not shake, and yet which 
the cry of an infant could overcome. In both, there 
was a deep-seated tenderness, which lay among their 
other and sterner qualities like a green Aljjine val- 
ley amid the gigantic cliffs and glaciers that sur- 
round it. 

The spring opened gloomily for the western and 
northern frontier. The massacre at Fort Raisin had 
broken up Harrison's cam]>aign, and left Tecumseh 
leisure to travel South asain, and rouse the Indians 



TECUMSEH. 255 

tliere to the same hostilities which had proved so 
successful at the North. 

At this time, the vast Mediterraneans that stretch 
along our northern boundary were embosomed in a 
boundless forest. Only here a fort, and there a settle- 
ment, showed that the foot of civilization had ever 
entered those almost limitless solitudes. All through 
Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois, numerous and powerful 
tribes of Indians roamed undisturbed, and hung, in 
black and threatening war-clouds, on the borders of 
civilization. The English had succeeded in inciting 
most of these to hostilities against the settler. Their 
efforts were aided in a masterly manner by Tecum- 
seh, a Shawnee warrior, who had imbibed a bitter? 
undying hostility to the Americans. Brave, temj)e- 
rate, scorning a lie, and despising the spoils of war, 
he fought to restore his race to their ancient rights 
and power. Unable to cope with the Americans 
alone, he gladly availed himself of our declaration 
of war to form an alliance with the British. Lifted 
by native genius above the vices of savages, he also 
exhibited a greatness of intellect, and loftiness of 
character, which, in civilized life, would have led 
to the highest renown. Despising the petty rival- 
ries of tribes and chiefs, he became absorbed in the 
grand idea of uniting all the Indian clans in one 
great and desperate struggle for mastery with the 
whites. He had succeeded in carrying out his 



^50 AM>K.K\V JAOliSOX. 

$oliemt\ tv> a great exh>ut> tlirvnighoiit the Xorth aud 
Woijit. - Of erect, athletic trame, iio^We^ eommaiuliug 
appearance, witlv the air of a king, and the ehxpteneo 
of a IXnnv^sthene* when rv^njdng the Greeks to jvrms 
against PhiUp, he went from tribe to triW electrify- 
ing them with hi$ api>eal$, and routing them to mad- 
ne$^ l\v hi$ fiery denunciation^ji against their oppre*- 
$or$^ llis brvuher, the pro'phet, accvMupanied him, 
— a dark, snhtle, cnuning im^wjtor, to wliose tricks 
Tecumseh j^ubmittevl tv>r awhile, hecan^e they foiled 
the hatrod and deceit of rival chief?, A$ he aA^^e 
Wforo hi* #iivago audiences, hi$ imjKVjting maimer 
creatCvl a fi>eling of awe : bnt when he kimllevl with 
hU great snhject, he ^eemeil like one inspireik Ills 
eye tlaj^he^l tire, hij^ swarthy b<v?om heaved and 
swelled with impri:?one<l pa^jion, hi$ whole lorm 
dilated with excitement, and hi* stroixg untniorvxl *onl 
pvHirvKl it$elf tv^rth in ehnpience, wild, headlong, and 
re^istle*?, a* the momitain torrent. Thought*, im- 
agery lea^>ed from hi* Up* in *nch lite and vivid- 
ne*5!' that the *b>ici*m of the Indian vanished l)elV>ro 
them, and hi* *tatut<^like face gleamed with pa**ion. 
The people he alway* carrievl with him; Imt the 
chiet*s who feared hi* pv^wer over their lollower*, 
ot>en thwarted hi* plai\*, AMien not addre*^ng the 
clan*, he wa* rv^*ervevl, cold, and hanghty. lIi* 
withering *i»rca*m, when Proctor prepo*ed to retreat 
from Maiden ; hi* ry?ply to the interpreter, who 



'I'Kri Msiii. ^57 

(ilVi'riti;.': liiiii :i clKiir in tlu' |ii-i'sfiu'<' d" 1 IniTisoii, s;ii*I, 
'* \ o\i\- l";illuM- wishes v.)u to 1)0 soaird ;" '* l\l v TalluM-! 
tlu> siiu is iii\ lalluT, ami llu- cai-lii luv iiidlluT," a-i 
111' slrt'Icliotl liiuisi'ir |ii'(Mi(ll\ on llio i;i'oiiii(l, rcxt'ai 
a ual iiro rousrious ol" ils i;roatiu'ss, ami sroniin^- t lio 
UisI iiictioiis which tho w hiu> man ariV)i;aUHl lo him- 
.so If. 

A I'hM' tlu> niassacvo at l''i"tMiclito\vn, lu> look liis 
1>rolluM\ and wiMit Sonlli It) llu> (^-orks, to compK'tii 
(he plan ol" a ^om'ral allianco. Tho joniaicx o I' nearly 
:i thousand niilos thron^'h tho wildornoss, ol" Ihcsii 
two l>r(>tlu'rs, the discussion <>i' their dooplaiJ 
schome at nii;hl around thoii" camp lire, the day- 
di'cams ol' 'l\'cumsi'h, as <;-ori;'i'()ns as c\ cr llitlcd he- 
I'ort^ the imai;inatit>n ot'a Civsar,- the sa\aii,'(MMnpire 
]\c would form, and the i;-reatni>ss lu> \V(udd reshu'O 
lo liis des])isiMl rai'c, wtudd maki' a i;'i"and epic. 
Pathless mi>untaius and <;-lotMuy swamps were Ira- 
^•ersed ; di>ep riwi's swam, and weariness and toil 
tMidured, not lor spi>ils oi- re\tMii;e, but lo carry out 
a i;-ri'af idi>a. 'l'herc> is a rude, Tuscan i!,ramleur 
aUiuit him, as lu' thus mo\ cs llirouii,-h tlu> wi'sleru 
wilderness impelled h\' a hii^'h pur[>oso, — a bar- 
baric spU'iulor thrown about even Iho inercilof^s 
lueasuri^s he nu'ans lo adopt, l)y the i2;reat in(>ral 
HcluMue lo wliii'h tlu\v ari' to l)e subji'cl. lli^4 
combinations oxliibitod the oonsunuuate general. 
While J'^Tigland ooeujiied ns along the sea-coast, lio 



258 ANDREW JACKSON. 

was to sweep in one vast semi-circle from Micliili- 
mackinac to Florida uj)on the scattered settlements. 
Fires were to be kindled Kortli and South, and AVest, 
to burn towards the centre, while civilized warfara 
should desolate the eastern slope of the Alleghanies. 
Tecumgeh had seen Hull surrender, helped to cut to 
pieces a part of Harrison's army, and drive back the 
remainder. His prospects were brightening, and 
with this glorious news to back his burning eloquence, 
he had no doubt of exciting the Southern tribes to 
war. The Chickasaws and Choctaws in Mississippi, 
numbered over thirty thousand ; the Creeks twenty- 
five thousand, w^hile south of them dwelt the large 
and warlike tribe of the Seminoles. His chief mis- 
sion was to the Creeks, from whom, on his mother's 
side, he sprung. This powerful clan stretched from 
the southern borders of Tennessee nearly to Florida. 
The sun in his course looked on no fairer, richer land 
than the country they held. Some of them had 
learned the arts of civilization, and, hitherto, had 
evinced a friendly disposition towards the whites. 
But British influence working through the Spanish 
authorities in Florida, had already prepared them for 
Tecumseh's visit. Am alliance, oifensive and defen- 
sive, had been formed bctM'een England and Spain; 
and the armies of the former were then in the Pen- 
insula, endeavoring to wrest the throne from Bona- 
parte. Tlie later, therefore, was bound to assist her 



tecumsku'd eloquence. 259 

ally on tliis continent, and so lent her aid in exciting 
the Southern Indians to hostility. But for this, Te- 
cumseh, with all his eloquence, might have failed. 
Co-operating with the British agents in Florida, as 
he had done with Brock and Proctor in Canada, he 
at length saw his cherished scheme about to be ful- 
filled. Tlie old and more peaceful, — those who had 
settled in well-built towns, with schools, and flocks, 
and farms, — opposed the war which should devastate 
their land, and drive them back to barbarism. But 
the eloquence of Tecumseh, as he spoke of the mul- 
tiplied wrongs of the Indians, their humiliation, de- 
scribed the glory to be won, and painted in glowing 
colors the victories he had gained in the North, kin- 
dled into a blaze the warlike feelings of the young ; 
and soon ominous tidings came from the bosom of 
the wilderness that stretched along the Coosa and 
Talapoosa rivers. Anxiety and alarm spread among 
the white settlers, and the scattered families sought 
shelter in the nearest forts. Twenty-four had thus 
congregated at Fort Minims, a mere block-house, 
situated on the Alabama, near the junction of the 
Tombigbee. It was garrisoned by a hundred and 
forty men, commanded by Major Beasely, and, with 
proper care, could have resisted the attacks of the 
savages. But the rumors of a rising among the In- 
dians were discredited. A negro who stated he had 
seen them in the vicinity, was chastised for spread- 



260 AXDKKW JACK90JS". 

ing a false alarm. Tlie niglit preceding the massa- 
cre, tlie dogs growled and barked, showing that they 
scented Indians in the air. But all these warnings 
were unheeded, when suddenly, in broad midday, 
the savages, some seven hundred strong, made their 
appearance before the fort, and within thirty feet of 
it, before they were discovered. The gate was open, 
and with one terrific yell they dashed through into 
the outer enclosure, driving the panic-stricken sol- 
diers into the houses within. Mounting these they 
set them on fire, and shot down every soul that 
attempted to escape. Seeing, at once, their inevita- 
ble doom, the soldiers fought with the energy of 
despair. Rushing madly on their destroyers, they 
gave blow for blow, and laid sixty of them around 
the burning buildings before they were comj^letely 
overpowered. At last, a yell of savage triumph rose 
over the crackling of flames, and cries and shrieks 
of terrified women and children. Then followed a 
scene which may not be described. The wholesale 
butchery, — the ghastly spectacle of nearly three 
hundred mutilated bodies, hewed and hacked into 
fragments, were nothing to the inhuman indignities 
j^erpetrated on the women. Children were ripped 
from the maternal womb, and swung as war-clubs 
against the heads of the mothers, and all those hor- 
rible excesses, which seem the offspring of demons, 



aiASSACRE AT FORT MIMMS. 261 

were committed on tlie dead and dying. Not more 
than twenty or thirty out of the whole, escaped. 

The news of this terrible disaster broke like a 
sudden thunder-clap on the neighboring States. 
Georgia, Tennessee, North and South Carolina, flew 
at once to arms. On the ITth of September a mass 
meeting assembled at Nashville, which, with one 
voice, nominated Jackson commander-in-cliief of the 
troops of the State. Ten days after, the nomination 
was confirmed by the legislature, and 200,000 dollars 
voted to carry on the war. Jackson immediately 
issued a stirring appeal to the people, in which, after 
describing the state of things, he urged them to as- 
semble to his standard with all speed, saying, " Al- 
ready are large bodies of the hostile Creeks march- 
ing to your borders, with their scalping-knives un- 
sheathed to butcher your women and children : time 
is not to be lost. We must hasten to the frontier, or 
we shall find it drenched in the blood of our citi- 
zens." At this time, he was suflfering from the arm 
which had been mutilated in his encounter with 
Benton, and was unable to be present at Fayetteville, 
the rendezvous, on the 4th of October ; but he sent 
an address to be read to the troops, and rules regu- 
lating the police of the camp. Although too feeble 
to take the field, he, three days after, with his arm 
in a sling, put himself at the head of the army. 
The next evening, a despatch arrived from Colonel 



262 ANDEEW JACKSOX. 

Coffee, who had been previously sent forward with 
a large detachment to Hunts ville, thirty-two miles 
distant, stating that a body of nearly a thousand In- 
dians were on their way to ravage the frontiers of 
Georgia, and another party approaching Tennessee. 
The day after came a second express confirming the 
report. By nine o'clock the following morning, 
Jackson put his army of twenty-five hundred in mo- 
tion, and at eight in the evening reached Huntsville, 
making the thirty-two miles in eleven hours. Find- 
ing that the rumor was without foundation, he 
proceeded leisurely to Ditto's Landing, where Col. 
Coffee with his regiment was encamped. Here 
he paused to wait for supplies, and survey his posi- 
tion. 

With promptness on the part of those co-operating 
with him, he saw that the hostile Creeks could be 
crushed with one blow ; for on the west of their set- 
tlements were six hundred Mississippi volunteers 
and the 3d regiment of regular infantry, six hun- 
dred strong, under Colonel Russell ; on the east were 
twenty-five hundred Georgia militia, commanded by 
General Floyd ; while from the north, five thousand 
volunteers and militia — twenty-five hundred from 
East Tennessee, under Generals Cocke and "White, 
and the same number from the western section of 
the State — were moving down on the devoted tribes. 
This arm}^ of five thousand Tennesseans was under 



ENTF.KS TIIK CREEK COUNTET. 263 

his own command, tlie western lialf of wliicli lie 
led in j^terson. There were, besides this formid- 
able array, a few posts held by small detachment-s, 
and a few hnndred friendly Indians, most of them 
Cherokees. When these separate armies should 
close around the hostile settlements, encircling them 
in a girdle of fire, it was universally believed that 
the war would be over. 

While Jackson remained at Ditto's Landing, wait- 
ing anxiously for the supplies which Generals Cocke 
and White had promised to forw\^rd, he despatched 
General Coffee, with six hundred jDicked men, to de- 
stroy Blackwarrior town, a hundred miles south. 

At length, being urged by the earnest appeals of 
friendly Indians, who w^ere in daily danger of beino- 
cut ofl' by the Creeks, he, on the 19th, started for 
Thompson's Creek, where he had ordered the provi- 
sions, which he supposed were near at hand, to be 
stopped. Cutting his way through the heavy forests, 
and dragging his artillery over steep mountains, he 
at length, after a painful march of two days, reached 
the place of depot but no provisions had arrived. 
Instead of supplies, came a letter from General 
White, w^ho was at Lookout Mountain in the Che- 
rokee country, stating that no flour could be spared 
from that post. His position was now becoming j)ain- 
ful and critical. Standing in the centre of the wil- 
derness, on the borders of the enemy's country, with 



264 ANDREW JACKSOX. 

liiB little band around him, he saw no alternative 
but to retreat, unless he ran the risk of starving his 
army in the forest. But to abandon his design, 
would leave .the friendly Indians at tlie mercy of 
their enemies, an act not only cruel in the extreme, 
and utterly repugnant to his nature, but which 
would furnish a fatal example to the other friendly 
tribes, whose alliance it was of the highest imj)ort- 
ance to secure. Prudence would have dictated a 
retreat, but Jackson had never yet turned his back 
voluntarily on a foe, and he resolved, at all hazards, 
to proceed. Sending off expresses to Generals 
Cocke and Wliite, and to the Governors of Tennes- 
see and Georgia, and the American agents in the 
Choctaw and Cherokee nations, he issued a stirring 
address to his troops, in which he promised them 
that the " order to charge would be the signal for 
victory." In urging on them the importance of 
coolness, and presence of mind, in every emergency, 
even in " retreat," he adds, 

" Your general laments that he has been com- 
pelled, even incidentally, to hint at a retreat, when 
speaking to freemen and to soldiers. Never, until 
you forget all that is due to yourselves and your 
country, will you have any practical understanding 
of that word. Shall an enemy, wholly unacquaint- 
ed with military evolutions, and who rely more for 
victory on their grim visages, and hideous yells, 



HIS POSITION. 265 

than upon their bravery or their weapons, — shall 
such an enemy ever drive before them, the well- 
trained youths of our country, whose bosoms pant 
for glory, and a desire to avenge the wrongs they 
have received ? Your general will not live to be- 
hold such a spectacle ; rather would he rush into the 
thickest of the enemy, and submit himself to their 
scalping-knives ; but he has no fear of such a result. 
He knows the valor of the men he commands, and 
how certainly that valor, regulated as it will be, 
will lead to victory." 

Cut off from supplies, locked up in the wilderness, 
through which swarmed thousand of savages, eagerly 
watching his advance, with only six days' rations of 
meat and two of flour, he issued this bold and con- 
fident address, and then gave orders for the army to 
march. Arriving at Ten Islands, he erected Fort 
Strother, to serve as a depot, and to cover his retreat. 
In a letter to Governor Blount, from this place, he 
says,— 

" Indeed, sir, we have been wretchedly supplied, — 
scarcely two rations in succession have been regularly 
drawn, yet we are not despondent. AVhile we can pro- 
cure an ear of corn apiece, or anything that will answer 
as a substitute for it, we shall continue our exertions 
to accomplish the object for which we were sent." 

Here, being informed that General White was only 
twenty-five miles distant up the river, he sent him a 



206 ANDEEW JACKSON. 

despatch to hasten, at once, to the fort. In the mean 
time, General Coffee, who had returned successful 
from his southern expedition, was sent to attack a 
large body of Indians at Tallushatchee, some thirty 
miles distant. With nine hundred men, this gallant 
officer advanced, and succeeded in completely sur- 
rounding them ; and though the savages fought desper- 
ately to the last, but few escaped. A hundred and 
eighty warriors lay stretched around the ashes of their 
dwellings. Among the slain, was a mother, on whose 
bosom her infant boy was found, struggling in vain to 
draw nourishment from the lifeless breast. When he 
was brought to camp, Jackson endeavoured to per- 
suade some of the female captives to take care of him, 
but they all refused, saying, " His relations are all 
dead, kill him too." He then ordered some sugar to 
be given him, and sent him to Huntsville, where he 
could be jjroperly cared for. He afterwards adopted 
him, gave him a good education, and placed him at a 
saddler's to learn a trade. The latter was accustomed 
to spend every Sunday at the Hermitage, with his 
adopted father, who was strongly attached to him. 
But he always pined for the free, wild life of his race. 
The close air of the shop and the drudgery of an ap- 
prentice did not agree with liim, and he soon after 
sickened. He was then taken home to the Hermitage, 
where he lingered some time, and died. 

This care and solicitude for an Indian infant in 



ATTACKS TUE INDIANS. 2G7 

the midst of the troubles and perils that surrounded 
him, remind one of a similar act of Marshal Nev, 
when his doomed army was fast sinking in the snow- 
drifts of Russia. At length, on the Yth of Kovember, 
an Indian runner arrived in camp, stating that Fort 
Talladega, about thirty miles distant, was surrounded 
by the hostile Eed-sticks, and if he did not hurry to 
its relief, the friendly Indians, who had taken refuge 
in it, must be massacred. The runner had scarcely 
finished his message when the order to march was 
issued, and in a few minutes the columns were in 
motion. It was midnight, and through the dim cathe- 
drals of nature, lighted only by the stars of heaven, 
Jackson led his two thousand men towards the Talla- 
dega. Eight hundred of these were mounted riflemen, 
who presented a picturesque appearance, as they 
wound slowly along the rough forest path underneath 
the autumnal woc-ds, each with unceasing watchful- 
ness, piercing the surrounding gloom, and every hand 
grasping a trusty rifle. Their heavy tramp frightened 
the wild beasts from their lairs, and awoke strange 
echoes in the solitude. Now straining up steep 
ascents, and now swimming deep rivers, the fearless 
and gallant band pressed forward. In three columns, 
so as to prevent the confusion that might arise from a 
sudden surprise, it forced its difiicult way through the 
forest, and at night arrived within six miles of the 
besieged fort. Here Jackson halted, and sent forward 



268 iLNDEEW JACKSO^r. 

two friendlv Indians and a white man, to reconnoitre. 
About eleven o'clock tliey returned, and reported the 
enemy in great force, and within a quarter of a mile 
of the fort. 'No time was to be lost, and though the 
troops had been without sleep, and constantly on the 
strain for twenty-four hours, another night, and a 
battle, lay between them and repose. 

It was four o'clock of a cool November morning, 
when the three columns again moved forward. Ad- 
vancing with the utmost caution and quietness to 
wuthin a mile of the Indian encampment, they halted, 
and formed in order of battle. Two hundred and fifty 
of the cavalry, under Lieut.-Col. Dyer, were left in 
the rear of the centre to act as a reserve, while the 
remaining four hundred and fifty were ordered to push 
on to the right and left on either side, until the heads 
of their columns met beyond the hostile encampment, 
and thus completely encircle it. The two brigades ot 
Hall and Roberts, occupying the right and left, were 
directed to advance, while the ring of cavalry was 
steadily to contract, so as to shut in every savage and 
prevent escape. At eight o'clock. Colonel Carroll 
boldly charged the position in front of him, and 
caj-ried it; he then retreated, in order to draw the 
Indians in pursuit. They charged after him with 
such terrific whoops and screams, that a portion 
of General Robert's brigade, on whom they M-ere 
rushing with uplifted tomahawks, broke and fled. 



THE BATTLE. 269 

This made a chasm in the line, which Jackson imme- 
diately ordered Colonel Bradley to fill with his regi- 
ment that for some reason, known only to the com- 
mander, had lagged behind, to the great detriment of 
the order of battle. But not only had he proved a 
laggard in the approach, but he refused to fill the 
chasm, as ordered by his commander, and the latter 
was compelled to dismount his reserve and hurry 
them forward. As these steadily and firmly advanced, 
and poured in their volleys, the panic-stricken militia 
recovered their courage and resumed their places in 
the line. In the mean time, the encirling cavalry 
came galloping, with loud hurrahs, towards the centre. 
The next moment the forest rang with the sharp re- 
ports of their rifles. In fifteen minutes the battle was 
over, and the terrified savages were wildly skirting 
the inner edge of this circle of fire, seeking, in vain, 
an avenue to the open forest beyond. Turned back 
at every step, they fell like the autumn leaves which 
the wind shook around them. At length they dis- 
covered a gap, made by the neglect of Colonel Brad- 
ley and the delay of a portion of the cavalry, which 
had taken too wide a circuit, and poured like a torrent 
that has suddenly found vent, through it. The mounted 
riflemen wheeled and streamed after ; and the quick, 
sharp reports of their pieces, and the receding yells 
rising from the forest, told how fiercely they pressed 
on the flying traces of the foe. The savages made 



270 ANDREW JACKSON. 

straight for tlie mountains, three lines distant, fighting 
as they went. The moment they bounded up the 
steep acclivity they were safe, and the wearied horse- 
men turned again to the camp. Their way back was 
easily tracked by the swarthy forms that lay stretched 
on the leaves, showing where the flight and pursuit 
had swept. Of the thousand and more who had com- 
posed the force of the enemy, more than half were 
killed or wounded. Three hundred were left dead on 
the spot where they had first fought. The loss of the 
Americans in killed and wounded, was ninety-five. 

The friendly Indians, who had been so long shut 
up without a drop of water, in momentary expecta- 
tion of being massacred, listened to the uproar with- 
out, with beating hearts ; but when the battle was 
over, they rushed forth with the most frantic cries of 
joy, and leaped and shouted around their deliverers 
in all the wildness of savage delight. They crowded 
around Jackson as if he had been their deity, to- 
wards whom they could not show too much rever- 
ence. 

Tlie refusal of General White to march to Fort 
Strother, left the feeble garrison of the latter in a 
perilous state. If it should fall, Jackson's whole line 
of retreat would be cut ofi"; and he, therefore, with 
deep pain, was compelled to stop in his victorious 
progress, and return to the fort. On his arrival, he 
found that no supplies had reached it, and that the 



DISTRESS OF HIS TROOPS. 271 

soldiers, half-starved, were bordering on mutiny. 
General Cocke, from the first, seemed resolved to 
withhold all aid from Jackson, lest he himself should 
be eclipsed in the campaign. 

The latter, however, endeavored to keep alive the 
spirits and courage of his troops, and distributed all 
his j)rivate stores to the feeble and wounded. Hav- 
ing nothing left for himself and staff, he repaired to 
the bullock-pen, and from the offals cut tripe, on 
which he and they lived for days, in the vain hope 
of receiving the long-promised supplies. One day, 
as he sat at the foot of a tree, thinking of the hard 
condition of his men, and planning how he might 
find some relief from the increasing difficulties that 
pressed so hard upon him, one of the soldiers, observ- 
ing that he was eating something, appr(xiched, and 
asked for a portion. Jackson looked up with a plea- 
sant smile, and said, " I will, most cheerfully, divide 
with you what I have ;" and taking some acorns from 
his pocket, he handed them to the astonished and 
mortified soldier. His solicitude for the army did 
not expend itself in words, for he shared with the 
meanest soldier his privations and his wants, while 
many of his subordinate officers possessed abun- 
dance. He let the latter enjoy the rations to which 
they were legally entitled, but himself scorned to 
sit down to a well-supplied table, while the army was 
perishing with want. 



27'ii ANDREW JACKSON. 

Tliis state of things, of course, could not last long, 
Tlie soldiers believed themselves neglected by the 
State for whose safety they were fighing ; else why 
this protracted refusal to send them provisions ? The 
incipient discontent was fed and aggravated by seve- 
ral of the officers, who were getting tired of the cam- 
paign, and wished to return home, till at last it broke 
out into open revolt. The militia regiments, en 
masse, had resolved to leave. Jackson received the 
communication with grief and indignation. He felt 
for Ids poor, half-starved men, but all his passionate 
nature was roused at this deliberate defiance of his 
authority. The militia, however, did not regard his 
expostulations or threats, and they fixed on a morn- 
ing to commence their march. But as they drew 
out to take their departure, they found, to their as- 
tonishment, the volunteers paraded across their path, 
with Jackson at their head. He ordered them to re- 
turn to their position, or they should answer for their 
diobe'dience with their lives. They obeyed ; but the 
volunteers, indignant that they had been made the 
instrument of quelling the revolt, and anxious as the 
others were to get away, resolved next morning to 
depart themselves. To their surprise, however, they 
saw the militia drawn up in the same position they 
liad occupied the day before, to arrest the first for- 
ward movement that was made. This was a danger- 



MUTINY IN HIS AEMY. 273 

Otis game to play witli armed men, and would not 
bear a second trial. 

Tlie cavalry, on the ground that the country 
yielded no forage for their horses, were permitted to 
retire to the neighborhood of Iluntsville, where they 
promised to wait the orders of their commander. 

In the meantime, Jackson hearing that provisions 
were on the way, made an effort to allay the excited, 
angry feelings that existed in the army, and so, on 
the 14tlx of ITovember, invited all the field and pla- 
toon officers to his quarters, and after informing them 
that abundant supplies were close at hand, ad- 
dressed them in a kind and sympathizing manner, 
told them how deej^ly he felt for their sufierings, 
and concluded by promising, if provisions did not 
arrive within two days, to lead them back himself 
to Tennessee. But this kind and conciliatory speech 
produced no eflect on a portion of the army, and the 
first reo-iment of volunteers insisted on abandonins: 
the fort. Permission to leave was granted, and 
Jackson, with chagrin and anguish, saw the men 
whom he refused to abandon at Natchez, forsake 
him in the heart of the forest, surrounded by hostile 
savages. 

The two days expiring without the arrival of pro- 
visions, he was compelled to fulfil his promise to 
the army, and preparations were made for departure. 
In the midst of the breaking up of the camp, he sat 



27i ANDREW JACKSON. 

down and wrote a letter to Colonel Pope, the con- 
tractor, which exhibits how deeply he felt, not 
merely this abandonment of him, but the failure of 
the expedition. He says in conclusion : 

" I cannot express the torture of my feelings, 
when I reflect that a campaign so auspiciously be- 
gun, and which might be so soon and so gloriously 
terminated, is likely to be rendered abortive for the 
want of supplies. For God's sake, prevent so great 
an evil." 

As the baggage-wagons were loaded up, and the 
men fell into marching order, the palpable evi- 
dence of the failure of the project on which he had 
so deeply set his heart, and the disgrace that await- 
ed his army, became so painful, that he could not 
endure the sight, and he exclaimed in mingled grief 
and shame, 

" If only two men will remain with me, I will 
never abandon the post." 

" You have one. General !" exclaimed Captain 
Gordon, of the spies, who stood beside him. 

The gallant captain immediately began to beat up 
for volunteei'S, and it was not long before a hundred 
and nine brave fellows surrounded their general, 
swearing to stand by him to the last. 

The latter then put himself at the head of the 
militia, telling them he should order them back, if 
they met provisions near by. They had gone but ten 



QUELLS A MUTnTS". 275 

or twelve miles, when they met an hundred and fifty- 
beeves on their way to the fort. The men fell to, and 
in a short time were gorging themselves with half- 
roasted meat. Invigorated by their gluttonous repast, 
most of them consented to return. One company, 
however, quietly resumed its journey homeward. 
When Jackson was informed of it, he sprang into his 
saddle, and galloping a quarter of a mile ahead,where 
General Coffee with his staff and a few soldiers had 
halted, ordered them to form across the road, and fire 
on the first man that attempted to pass. As the 
mutineers came up and saw that living barrier before 
them, and in front of it the stern and decided face of 
their commander, they wheeled about, and retraced 
their steps. Jackson then dismounted and began to 
mingle among the men, to allay their excitement, and 
conciliate their feelings. While he was thus endea- 
vouring to reduce to cheerful obedience this refactory 
company, he was told, to his utter amazement, that 
the other portion of the army had changed their 
mind, and the whole brigade was drawn up in column, 
and on the point of marching homeward. lie imme- 
diately walked up in front of the column, snatched a 
musket from the hands of a soldier, and resting it 
across the neck of his horse, swore he would shoot the 
first man who attempted to move. The soldiers stood 
and looked in sullen silence at that resolute face, un- 
decided whether to advance or not, when General 



276 AJSTDKEW JACKSOir. 

Coffee and his staff galloped up. These, together with 
the foithful companies, Jackson ordered to form be- 
hind him, and fire when he did. Not a word was 
littered for some time, as the two parties thus stood 
face to face, and gazed on each other. At length a 
murmur rang along the column, — rebellion was 
crushed, and the mutineers consented to return. Dis- 
content, however, prevailed, and the volunteers looked 
anxiously forward to the 10th of December, the time 
when they supposed the term of their enlistment ex- 
pired. They had originally enlisted for twelve 
mouths, and counting in the time they had been dis- 
banded, after their return from Katchez, the year 
would be completed on that date. But Jackson re- 
fused to allow the time they were not in actual ser- 
vice. Letters passed between the officers and him- 
self, and every effort was made on his part to allay 
the excitement, and convince the troops of the justice 
of his demands. He appealed to their patriotism, 
their courage, and honor, and finally told them if the 
General Government gave permission for their dis- 
charge, he would discharge them, otherwise they 
should walk over his dead body, before they stirred a 
foot, until the twelve months' actual service was 
accomplished. Anticipating trouble, he wrote home 
for reinforcements, and sent off officers for recruits. 

In the mean time, the 10th of December drew near, 
and every heart was filled with anxiety for the result. 



A SECOND MUTINY. 277 

A portion of the army was resolved to take their dis- 
charge, whether granted or not. It was not a sudden 
irajjulse, created by want and suffering, but a well- 
considered and settled determination, grounded on 
what they considered their rights. The thing had 
been long discussed, and many of the officers had 
given their decided opinion that the time of the men 
actually expired on the 10th. Jackson knew that his 
troops were brave, and when backed by the conscious- 
ness of right, would be resolute and firm. But he had 
made up his mind to prevent mutiny, though he was 
compelled to sacrifice a whole regiment in doing it. 

At length, on the evening of the 9th, General Hall 
entered the tent of Jackson, and informed him that 
his whole brigade was in a state of revolt. The latter 
immediately issued an order stating the fact, and cal- 
ling on all the officers to aid in quelling it. He then 
directed the two guns he had with him, to be placed, 
one in front and the other in the rear, and the militia 
on the rising ground in advance, to check any move- 
ment in that direction, and waited the result. The 
brigade assembled, and were soon in marching order. 
Jackson then rode slowly along the line, and address- 
ed the soldiers. He reminded them of their former 
good conduct, spoke of the love and esteem he had 
always borne them, of the reinforcements on the way, 
saying, also, that he expected every day, the decision 

of the government, on the question of their discharge, 
14 



278 ANDEEW JACKSON. 

and wound up by telling them emphatically, that he 
had done with entreaty, — go they should not, and if 
they persisted, he would settle the matter in a very 
few minutes. He demanded an immediate and ex- 
plicit answer. They persisted. He repeated his de- 
mand, and still receiving no answer, he ordered the 
artillerists to prepare their matches, and at the word 
" fire," to pour their volleys of grape-shot into the 
closely crowded ranks. There he sat, gazing sternly 
down the line, while the few moments of grace 
allowed them, were passing rapidly away. The men 
knew it was no idle threat. He had never been 
known to break his word, and that sooner than swerve 
one hair from his purpose, he would drench that field 
in blood. Alarmed, they began to whisper one to 
another, " Let us go back." The contagion of fear 
spread, and soon the officers advanced, and promised, 
on behalf of the men, that they would return to their 
quarters. 

As if to try this resolute man to the utmost, and 
drive him to despair, no sooner was one evil averted 
than another overtook him. He had, by his bold- 
ness, quelled the mutiny ; but he now began again 
to feel the horrors of famine. Supplies did not 
arrive ; or in such scanty proportion, that he was 
compelled, at last, to discharge the troops, and, not- 
withstanding all the distressing scenes through 
which he had passed to retain them, see them take 



DEFEATS THE INDIANS. 279 

up tlieir line of march for home, leaving him, with 
only a hundred devoted followers, shut up in the 
forest. Here he remained till the middle of Jan- 
nary, when he was gladdened by the arrival of eight 
hundred recruits. Not deeming these, however, 
sufficient to penetrate into the heart of the Creek 
country, he resolved to make a diversion in favor of 
General Floyd, who was advancing from the east. 
Hearing that a large number of Indians, were en- 
camped on the Emuckfaw Creek, where it empties 
into the Tallapoosa River, he marched thither, and 
on the evening of the 21st of January, arrived with- 
in a short distance of their encampment. The In- 
dians were aware of his approach, and resolved to 
anticij^ate his attack. To prevent a surprise, how- 
ever, Jackson had ordered a circle of watch-fires to 
be built around his little band. The men stood to 
their arms all night ; and just before daylight, a 
wild, unearthly yell, which always precedes an at- 
tack, went up from the forest, and the next moment 
the savages charged down on the camp. But, 
the instant the light of the watch-fires fell on their 
tawny bodies they were swej)t with such a destruc- 
tive volley, that they again took shelter in the dark- 
ness. At length, daylight appeared, when General 
Coffee ordered a charge, which cleared the field. 
He was then directed to advance on the encamp- 
ment with four hundred men, and carry it by storm. 



280 AOT3KEW JACK60N. 

On his approacli, however, he found it too strong for 
his force, and he retired. Jackson, attacked in re- 
turn, was com]3elled to charge repeatedly, before the 
savages finally took to flight. Many of their brav- 
est warriors fell in this short conflict ; while, on 
the American side, several valuable officers were 
badly wounded, among them General Cofifee, who, 
from the commencement to the close, was in the 
thickest of the fight. 

^Notwithstanding his victory, Jackson prudently 
determined to retreat. He liad gained his object ; 
for in drawing; the attention of the Indians to his own 
force, he had diverted it from that under General 
Floyd. Besides, his horses had been without forage 
for two days, and %vould soon break down. He, 
therefore, buried the dead on the field where they bad 
fallen ; and, on the 23d, began to retrace his foot- 
steps. Judging from the quietness of the Indians 
since the battle, he suspected they were lurking in 
ambush ahead. Remembering also what an excel- 
lent place there was for a surprise at the ford of En- 
otochopeo, he sent men in advance to reconnoitre, 
who discovered another ford some six hundered yards 
farther down the stream. Reaching this just at even- 
ing, he encamped there all night, and the next morn- 
ing commenced crossing. He expected an attack 
while in the middle of the stream, and, therefore, 
had his rear formed in order of battle. His anticipa- 



ATTACKED BY INDIANS. 281 

tions proved correct ; for no sooner had a part of the 
army reached the opposite bank, than an alarm-gun 
was lieard in the rear. In an instant, all was in com- 
motion. The next moment, the forest resounded with 
the war-whoop and yells of the savages, as they came 
rushing on in great numbers. As they crowded on 
the militia, the latter, with their officers, gave way in 
aflVight, and poured pell-mell down the bank. Jack- 
son was standing on the shore superintending the 
crossing of his two pieces of artillery, when his 
broken ranks came tumbling about him. Foremost 
among the fugitives was Captain Stump ; and Jackson, 
enraged at the shameful disorder, aimed a desperate 
blow at him with his sword, fully intending to cut 
him down. One glance of his eye revealed the whole 
extent of the danger. But for General Carroll, who,- 
with Captain Quarles and twenty-five men, stood 
nobly at bay, beating back with their deliberate vol- 
leys the hordes of savages, the entire rear of the army 
would have been massacred. But, over the din and 
tumult, Jackson's voice rang clear and steady as a 
bugle-note, as he rapidly issued his orders. The gal- 
lant and intrepid Coffee, roused by the tumult, raised 
himself from the litter on which he lay wounded, and 
casting one glance on the panic, and another upon 
the little band that stood like a rock embedded in the 
farther bank, leaped to the ground, and with one bound 
landed in his saddle. The next moment, his shout of 



282 ANDREW JACKSON. 

encouragement broke on the ears of his companions 
as he dashed forward to the conflict. Jackson looked 
up in surprise as that pale face galloped up the bank, 
and then his rage at the cowardice of the men gave 
way to the joy of the true hero when another hero 
moves to his side, and he shouted, " We shall whip 
them yet, my men ! the dead have risen, and come to 
aid us.'''' The company of artillery followed, leaving 
Lieutenant Armstrong and a few men to drag up the 
cannon. "When one of the guns, at length, reached 
the top of the bank, the rammer and picker were no- 
where to be found. A man instantly wrenched the 
bayonet from his musket, and rammed home the car- 
tridge with his stock, and picked it with his ratnrod. 
Lieutenant Armstrong fell beside his piece ; but as 
he lay upon the ground, he cried out, " My brave 
fellows, some of you must fell ; but save the cannon." 
Such heroism is always contagious ; and the men 
soon rallied, and charging home on the savages, 
turned them in flight on every side. 

After burying his dead and caring for the wound- 
ed, Jackson resumed his march ; and, four days after, 
reached Fort Strother in safety. Nearly one-eighth 
of his little army had been killed or wounded since 
he left the post, and he now dismissed the remainder, 
who claimed that the time of their enlistment was ex- 
pired ; and quietly waited till sufiicient reinforcements 
should arrive for him to undertake a thorough cam- 



REINFORCEMENTS. 283 

paign into the Creek country. They soon began to 
come in ; for liis bravery and success awakened con- 
fidence, and stimulated tbe ambition of thousands, 
who were sure to win distinction under such a leader, 
and, by March, he found himself at the head of four 
thousand militia and volunteers, and a regiment of re- 
gular troops, together with several hundred friendly 
Indians. While preparing to advance, mutiny again 
broke out in the camp. He determined this time to 
make an example which should deter others in 
future ; and a private, being tried and convicted, was 
shot. The spectacle was not lost on the soldiers, and 
nothing more was heard of a revolt. 

Having completed all his arrangements, Jackson, 
with four thousand men, advanced, on the 16th of 
March, into the Creek country. At the junction of 
the Cedar Creek with the Coosa River, he established 
Fort Williams, and left a garrison. He then contin- 
ued his march, with some two thousand five hundred 
men, towards his previous battle-ground at Emuckfaw. 
About five miles below it, in the bend of the Talla- 
poosa, the Indians, a thousand strong, had entrenched 
themselves, determined to give battle, — they were on 
sacred ground ; for all that tract between the Coosa 
and Tallapoosa Rivers, known as the " hickory 
ground," their prophets had told them the white man 
could never concpier. This bend contained about a 
hundred acres, around which the river wrapped itself 



284 ANDREW JACKSON. 

in the form of a horse-slioe, from whence it derived 
its name. Across the neck leading to this open plain, 
the Indians had erected a breastwork of logs, seven 
or eight feet high, and pierced it with a double row 
of port-holes. Behind it, the ground rose into an 
elevation ; while still farther back, along the shore, 
lay the village, in which were the women and chil- 
dren. Early in the morning of the 25th, Jackson 
ordered General Coffee to take the mounted riflemen 
and the friendly Indians and cross the river at a ford 
below, and stretch around the bend, on the opposite 
bank from the village, so as to prevent the fugitives 
from escaping. He then advanced in front, and took 
up his position, and opened on the breastwork with 
his light artillery. The cannonade was kept up for 
two hours without producing any effect. In the mean 
time, the friendly Indians attached to General Coffee's 
command had swam the river and loosened a large 
number of canoes, which they brought back. Captain 
Kussell's company of sj)ies immediately leaped into 
them, and, with the friendly Indians, crossed over 
and set the village on fire, and with loud shouts 
pressed towards the rear of the encampment. The 
Indians returned the shout of defiance, and, with a 
courage and steadiness they seldom exhibited, repell- 
ed every effort to advance. 

The troops under Jackson heard the din of the 
conflict within, and clamored loudly to be led to the 



BATTLE OF THE HOKSE SHOE. 285 

assault. He, however, held them back, and stood 
and listened. Discovering, at length, by the inces- 
sant firing in a single place, that the Americans were 
making no progress, he ordered the bugles to sound 
the charge. A loud and thrilling shout rolled along 
the American line, and, with levelled bayonets, the 
excited ranks precipitated themselves on the breast- 
work. A withering fire received them, the rifle-balls 
sweeping like a sudden gust of sleet, in their very 
faces. Not an Indian flinched, and many were 
pierced through the port holes ; while, in several in- 
stances, the enemy's bullets were welded to tlie Ame- 
rican bayonets. The swarthy warriors looked grimly 
through the openings, as though impervious to death. 
This, liowever,was of short duration, and soon the breast- 
work was black with men, as they streamed up the 
sides. Major Montgomery was the first who planted 
his foot on the top, but he had scarcely waved his 
sword in triumph above his head, when he fell back 
upon his companions, dead. A cry of vengeance 
swelled up from his followers, and the next moment 
the troops rolled like a sudden inundation over the 
barrier. It then became a hand-to-hand fight ; the 
savages refused to yield, and with gleaming knives 
and tomahawks, and clubbed rifles and muskets, the 
battle raged through the encampment. High and 
wild over the incessant rattle of musketry and clash 
of arms, arose the shouts of the prophets, as dancing 



286 A2sDEEW JACKSON. 

frantically around their blazing dwellings, they con- 
tinued their strange incantations, still crying victory. 
At length one was shot in the mouth, as if to give 
the lie to his declarations. Pressed in front and 
rear, many at last turned and fled. But the uner- 
ring rifle droj^ped them along the shore ; while those 
who endeavored to save themselves by swimming, 
sunk in mid-stream under the deadly fire of Coflee's 
mounted men. The greater part, however, fought 
and fell, face to face, with their foes. It was a long 
and desperate struggle ; not a soul asked for quarter, 
but turned, with a last look of hate and defiance, on 
his conqueror. As the ranks became thinned, it 
ceased to be a fight, and became a butchery. Driven 
at last from the breastwork, the few surviving war- 
riors took refuge in the brush and timber on the 
hill. Wishing to spare their lives, Jackson sent an 
interpreter to them, oflfering them pardon ; but they 
proudly refused it, and fired on the messenger. He 
then turned his cannon on the spot, but failing to 
dislodge them, ordered the grass and brush to be 
fired. Driven out by the flames, they ran for the 
river, but most of them fell before they reached the 
water. On every side the crack of the rifle told 
how many eyes were on the fugitives. Darkness at 
last closed the scene, and ptill night, broken only by 
the cries of the wounded, fell on the forest and 



SAVES A WARRIOR. 287 

river. N^oarlj eight Inindred of tlie Indians liad 
fallen, five lumdred and fifty-seven of wliom lay 
stark and stiff around and in tliat encampment. 
Tlie loss of the Americans, in killed and wounded, 
was about two hundred. 

An incident occurred after the battle, which pre- 
sented in striking contrast the two opposite natures 
of Jackson. 

An Indian wairior, severely wounded, was brought 
to him, whom he placed at once in the hands of a sur- 
geon. While under the operation, the bold, athletic 
warrior looked up, and asked Jackson in broken 
English, " Cure 'im, kill 'im again ?" The latter re- 
plied, " Ko ; on the contrary, he should be well 
taken care of." lie recovered, and Jackson pleased 
with his noble bearing, sent him to his own house 
in Tennessee, and afterwards had him taught a trade 
in Nashville, where he eventually married and set- 
tled down in business. When that terrible ferocity, 
which took entire possession of this strange, indo- 
mitable man in battle, subsided away, the most gen- 
tle and tender emotions usurped its place. The tiger 
and the lamb united in his single person. 

The tired soldier slept on the field of slaughter, 
around the smouldering fires of the Indian dwellings. 
Tlie next morning they sunk the dead bodies of their 
companions in the river, to save them from the 



288 ANDREW JACKSON. 

scalping-knives of the savages, and then took up 
their backward march to Fort William. 

The original design of having the three armies 
from Tennessee, Georgia, and Mississippi, meet in the 
centre of the Creek nation, and thus crush it with 
one united effort, had never been carried. out, and 
Jackson now resolved alone to overrun and subdue 
the country. Issuing a noble address to his troops, 
he, on the 7th of April, set out for the Indian vil- 
lage of Hoithlowalle. But he met with no opposi- 
tion ; the battle of Tohopeka had comi^letely pros- 
trated the tribe, and the war was virtually at an end. 
He, however, scoured the country, the Indians 
everywhere fleeing before the terror of his name. 
On his mai'ch, he sent orders to Colonel Milton, who, 
with a strong force, was also advancing into the 
Creek country, to send him provisions. The latter 
returned a cavalier refusal. Jackson then sent a 
preremptory order, not only to forward provisions, 
but to join him at once with his trooi^s. Colonel 
Milton, after reading the order, asked the bearer 
what sort of a man Jackson was. " One," he re- 
plied, "who intends, when he gives an order, to 
have it obeyed." The colonel concluded to obey, 
and soon effected a junction with his troops. Jack- 
son then resumed his march along the banks of the 
Tallapoosa ; but he had hardly set the leading 
column in motion, when word was brought him 



ENDS THE WAR. 289 

that Colonel Milton's brigade could not follow, as 
the wagon-horses had strayed away dimng the 
night, and could not be found, Jackson immedi- 
ately sent him word to detail twenty men to each 
wagon. The astonished colonel soon found horses 
sufficient to draw the wagons. 

The enemy, however, did not make a stand, and 
either fled, or came in voluntarily to tender their 
submission. The latter part of April, General 
Pinckney arrived at Fort Jackson, and assumed 
the command, and General Jackson returned to 
Tennessee, greeted with acclamations, and covered 
with honors. In a few months peace was restored 
with all the Southern tribes, and the machinations 
of England in that quarter completely frustrated. 

There is nothing in the history of our country 
more remarkable than this campaign, and nothing 
illustrates the genius of this nation more than it and 
the man who carried it triumphantly through. 
Rising from a sick couch, he called to the young 
men of every profession to rally to the defence of 
their country. Placing himself at the head of the 
brave but undisciplined bands that gathered at his 
call, he boldly plunged into the untrodden wilder- 
ness. Unskilled in the art of war, never having 
witnessed a battle since he was a boy, he did not 
hesitate to assume the command of an army without 



290 ANDREW JACKSON. 

discipline, and witlioiit knowledge of tlie toils and 
difficulties before it. Yet with it he crossed broad 
rivers, climbed pathless mountains, and penetrated 
almost impassable swamps filled with crafty savages. 
More subtle and more tireless than his foes, he 
thwarted all their schemes. With famine on one 
side and an army in open mutiny on the other, he 
scorned to yield to discouragement, and would not 
be forced by the apparently insurmountable obsta- 
cles that opposed his j^rogress from his jDurpose. By 
his constancy and more than Roman fortitude, com- 
pelling adversity at length to relent, and quelling 
his rebellious troops by the terror of his presence 
and his indomitable will, he at last, with a smile of 
triumph, saw his columns winding over the conse- 
crated grounds of the savages. Soon his battle- 
shout was heard rising over the crackling of burn- 
ing villages. Kings, proj^hets, and chieftains fell 
imder his strokes ; and crushing towns, villages, and 
fortresses under his feet, he at last, with one terrible 
blow, paralysed the nation for ever. 

Indian warfare presents none of the pomp and 
grandeur of great battle-fields, yet it calls out equal- 
ly striking qualities, and often requires more promj^t- 
ness and self-possession, and greater mental resources 
in a commander. Especially with such an army as 
Jackson had under him, the task he accomplished 
was Herculean, and reveals a character of vast 



HIS RESOLUTION. 291 

strengtli and execiitiveness. Tliat single man, stand- 
ing up alone in tlie heart of the wilderness, and 
boldly facing his famine-struck and rebellious army, 
presents a scene partaking far more of the moral 
sublime than Cromwell seizing a rebel from the 
very midst of his murmuring band. 

His gloomy isolation for a whole winter, with only 
a few devoted followers, reveals a fixedness of pur- 
pose and grandeur of character that no circum- 
stances could afi"ect. Inferior to the contagion of 
fear, unafl:ected by general discouragement, equal in 
himself to every emergency, he moves before us in 
this campaign the embodiment of the noblest quali- 
ties that distino-uish the American race. 



CHAPTER II. 

Appointed Major-General— Attack on Fort Bowyer— March on Pensacola — Ad- 
vances to New Orleans — Excitement in the city — Landing of the British — Jack- 
son's niglit attack— Eesolves to entrench himself— Turns the Legislature out of 
doors — British advance to the assault and are repulsed — Second attack — Arrival 
of reinforcements, and final battle — Jackson fined by Judge Hall — Returns home 
— Sent to quell the Indians in Florida— Conduct there — Appointed governor — 
Elected to the United States Senate — Democratic candidate for President — Elected 
President— Veto of UniLed States Bank— Elected for a second term— Arrests the 
spirit of disunion — Eeview of his administration — He retires to jirivate life — His 
last illness and death. 

Jackson did not rest long on liis laurels ; for the war 
seemed still farther from a termination than at its 
commencement. The abdication of Napoleon, and 
the re-ascendancy of the oppressive monarchies of 
Europe, gave England a breathing space, and the 
vast fleets and armies she had loaned to feudalism 
for the overthrow of free principles, could now be 
transferred to this continent to cany out here the 
tyrannical system which was fast covering her -vvith 



APPOINTED MAJOR-GENERAL. 293 

infamy abroad. Recoiling from tlie impregnable 
coast that hurled back lier fleets in the North, she 
projected a grand descent on the more feebly pro- 
tected Southern cities. 

In the meantime, General Harrison having re- 
signed his command in the army, Jackson was ap- 
pointed major-general in his place, and the protec- 
tion of the coast, near the mouth of the Mississippi, 
intrusted to his care. Pensacola was then under 
Spanish authority, and as the resort of British emis- 
saries, who stirred up the surrounding savages to 
massacre and bloodshed, had long occupied his 
thoughts, and he was determined to take active mea- 
sures against it. In August, he sent Captain Gordon 
to reconnoitre the place, who reported, on his return, 
that he had seen a number of soldiers and several 
hundred savages in British uniform under drill by 
British officers. Jackson immediately despatched 
this report to government. Under such a palpable 
violation of treaty stipulations there was only one 
course to be pursued, and Gen. Armstrong, the Sec- 
retary of War, issued an order authorising Jackson 
to attack the town. This order was made out ; but, 
by some mysterious process, was so long in getting 
into the post-office, that it never reached its destina- 
tion till the 17th of January the next year. Jackson 
waited patiently for the sanction of his government 
to move forward, not wishing that his first important 



204 ANDREW JACKSON. 

step as Major-General in tlie regular army slionld 
meet tlie disapproval of those who had entrusted 
liim with power. But a proclamation, issued by a 
British officer named NichoUs, and dated Pensacola, 
calling on all the negroes and savages, nay, even the 
Americans themselves, to rally to the British standard, 
put an end to his indecision, and he immediately 
made preparations to attack the place. 

In the meantime, Nicholls made an attempt on 
Fort Bowyer, a small redoubt, garrisoned by one 
hundred and twenty men, and defended by twenty 
pieces of cannon. This fortress commanded the en- 
trance from the Gulf to Mobile. To capture it, four 
British ships, carrying ninety guns, and a land force 
of over seven hundred men, started from Pensacola 
on the 12th of September. On the 15th, the ships 
took np their position within musket-shot of the fort, 
and opened their fire. The land force, in the mean- 
time, hud gained the rear, and commenced an attack. 
Major Lawrence, with the gallant garrison nnder his 
command, met this double onset with the coolness 
of a veteran. Scattering the motley collection under 
Nicholls, with a few discharges of grape-shot, he 
turned his entire attention to the vessels of war. 
Being in such close range, the cannonading on both 
sides was terrific. The incessant and heavy explo- 
sions shook that little redoubt to its foundations ; but 
at the end of three hours, the smoke slowly curled 



FORT BOWYER. 295 

away from its battered sides, revealing the flag still 
flying aloft, and the begrimed canuoniers standing 
sternly beside their heated pieces. The firing of the 
enemy had ceased, and the ship Hermes disabled, 
was drifting on a sand-bank, while the other vessels 
were crowding all sail seaward. The former soon 
after grounded within six hundred yards of the fort, 
whose guns opened on her anew with such tremen- 
dous effect that, out of the one hundred and seventy 
who composed her crew, only twenty escaped. The 
other ships suffered severely, and the total loss of 
the enemy was one ship burned, and two hundred 
and thirty-two men killed and wounded, while only 
eifflit of the garrison were killed. Nicholls effected 
his retreat to Pensacola, where the governor received 
him as his guest, and threw open the public stores 
to the soldiers. On the flag-staff of the fort were 
" entwined the colors of Spain and England," as if 
on pur]30se to announce that all neutrality was at an 
end. 

Tliese things coming to Jackson's ear, he resolved 
without delay, to get possession of the town and fort, 
*' peaceably if he could, forcibly if he must." He 
immediately hastened to Fort Montgomery, where 
he had assembled four thousand men, and putting 
himself at their head, in four days encamped within 
two miles of the place. This was on the 6th of No- 
vember, and he at once despatched a flag to the 



296 ANDEEW JACKSON. 

Spanish governor, disclosing Lis object and pur- 
pose. Tlie messenger was fired npon from the 
fort, and compelled to return. Jackson's fierj na- 
ture was instantly aroused by this insult, yet re- 
membering that he was acting without the sanc- 
tion of government, he resolved still to negotiate. 
Having, at length, succeeded in opening a corres- 
pondence with the governor, he told him that lie 
had come to take possession of the town, and hold 
it for Spain till she was able to preserve her neutral- 
ity. The governor refusing entirely to be relieved 
from his charge, Jackson put his columns in motion 
and marched straight on the town. At the entrance, 
a battery of two cannon o^^ened on his central col- 
umn ; but being speedily carried by storm, together 
with two fortified houses, the troops, with loud 
shouts, pressed forward, and in a few minutes were 
masters of the place. Tlie Spanish governor no 
sooner saw the American soldiers with loud hurrahs 
inundating the streets, than he rushed forward, im- 
ploring mercy, and promising an immediate surren- 
der, Jackson at once ordered the recall to be 
sounded, and retired without the town. The com- 
mandant of the fort, however, refused to surrender 
it, when Jackson ordered an assault. Tlie former 
wisely averted the approaching blow by lowering 
liis flag. The British fled, taking with them their 



ATTACKS PENSACOLA. 297 

allies, four luindred of wliom being negroes, were 
carried to the West Indies, and sold for slaves. 

Having thus chastised the Spanish governor, and 
broken up the plans laid to renew the Lidian war, 
Jackson took up his march for New Orleans, which 
he knew would be the chief point of attack. He 
established his head-quarters there, on the 1st of 
December ; and three days after, the news that a 
large British fleet was approaching the coast, spread 
like wild-fire through the city. The report was soon 
confirmed, and Jackson, whom danger always tran- 
quillized, while it filled him with tenfold energy, 
began to prepare for the approaching shock. New 
Orleans, numbering at that time only thirty thou- 
sand inhabitants, was but recently purchased from 
France, and the population, being composed mostly 
of those in whose veins flowed Spanish and French 
blood, did not feel the same patriotic ardor that ani- 
mated the Eastern cities. Many were known to be 
hostile, and were suspected of carrying on treasona- 
ble correspondence with the enemy. Feeling that 
he had but a slender hold on the city, and knowing 
that secret foes watched and reported all his move- 
ment, Jackson was compelled to act with extreme 
caution. 

Tliis hostility, as it were, in his own camp, added 
immensely to the embarrassments that surrounded 
him. But calm, keen, resolute, tireless, and full of 



298 ANDREW JACKSON. 

courage, lie soon inspired tlie patriotic citizens with 
confidence. Kesources tliey had not dreamed of, 
sprang up at liis bidding. But it needed all tlie re- 
nown lie had won, and all his personal influence, to 
impart the faintest promise of success. 

He had brought only a portion of his troops with 
him from Pensacola. But no sooner did he an*ive, 
than he inspected narrowly the inlets, bayous, and 
channels, marked out the location of works, ordered 
obstructions raised, and then called on the different 
States to send him help. A thousand regulars were 
immediately ordered to New Orleans, while the Ten- 
nessee militia, under General Carrol, and the mount- 
ed riflemen, under General Coffee, hastened as of 
old, to his side. Concealing as much as possible the 
weakness of his force, and the bad appointments of 
many of the soldiers, he strained every nerve to in- 
crease the means of defence. Tlie French inhabi- 
tants forgot their hostility to the Americans in the 
greater hate of the English, while many others, who, 
hitherto, had taken little or no interest in the war, 
roused by the sudden danger that threatened them, 
flew to arms. The free negroes and refugees from 
St. Domingo, formed themselves into a black regi- 
ment, and were incorporated into the army. Jack- 
son's energy and courage soon changed the whole 
current of feeling, and, day and night, the sounds 
of martial preparation echoed along the streets of 



ALAKM IX THE CITY. 299 

the citj. Tlie excitement swelled higher and high- 
er, as the hostile fleet gradually closed towards the 
mouth of the Mississippi. But one thought occu- 
pied every bosom, — ^one topic became the theme of 
all conversation. Consternation and courage moved 
side by side ; for while the most, believed Jackson 
to be invincible, others, carefully weighing the force 
of the armament approaching, could not but antici- 
pate discomforture and destruction. Nor was this 
sui-prising ; for a fleet of more than eighty sail, un- 
der the command of Admiral Cochrane, carrying on 
their decks eleven thousand veteran troops, fresh 
from the bloody flelds of Spain, and led by men of 
renown, was steadily advancing on the city. Be- 
sides this formidable land force, there were twelve 
thousand seamen and marines. The facts alone were 
sufiicient to cause anxiety and alarm ; but rumor 
magnified them fourfold. To resist all this, New 
Orleans had no vessels of war, no strong fortresses, 
no army of veteran troops. General Jackson, with 
his undeciplined and half-armed yeomanry, alone 
stood between the city and destruction. He was not 
ignorant of the tremendous force advancing against 
him ; but still he was calm and resolute. To the 
panic-stricken women, who roamed the streets, fill- 
ing the air with shrieks and cries of alarm, he said, 
" The enemy shall never reach the cityy Their fears 
at once subsided, for he had the strange power of 



800 AJSTDRKW JACKSOIT. 

infusing his own confidence into all wlio surrounded 
liim. 

'New Orleans, situated on tlie eastern bank of the 
lyiississippi, was accessible not only through the 
various mouths of the river, but also with small ves- 
sels through lakes Borgne and Pontchartrain, and 
was therefore a difiicult city to defend, for no one 
could tell by what way, or by how many ways the 
enemy would approach. Jackson saw that he would 
be compelled to divide his forces in order to guard 
every avenue. In the meantime, while he watched 
the approaching force, he kept his eye on the city. 
The press did not manfully sustain him, and the 
legislature, then in session, looked upon his actions 
with susj)icion, if not with hostile feelings. Al- 
though a native of another State, and having no 
personal interest in the fate of the place, whose 
authorities treated him with coldness, he, neverthe- 
less, determined to save it at all hazards, and while 
apparently bending his vast energies to meet an 
external foe, boldly assumed the control of the 
city, declared martial law, and when Judge Hall 
liberated a traitor whom he had imprisoned, sternly 
ordered the Judge himself into confinement. 

At length, on the 9th of December, the excited 
inhabitants were told that the British fleet had 
reached the coast ; sixty sail being seen near the 
mouth of the Mississippi. Commodore Patterson 



LANDING OF TUB ENEMY. 301 

immediately despatched Lieutenant Jones witli five 
gun-boats to watcli its motions. This gallant com- 
mander, in passing through Lake Borgne, disco- 
vered that the enemy, instead of approaching direct 
by the river, was advancing up the lakes. In hover- 
ing around them to ascertain their designs, he unfor- 
tunately got becalmed, and in that position Avas 
attacked by forty barges, containing twelve hundred 
men. ifotwithstanding he had under him less than 
two hundred men, he refused to surrender, and gal- 
lantly returned the fire of the enemy. For a whole 
hour he stubbornly maintained the unequal contest ; 
but, at length, after killing nearly double his entire 
force, he was compelled to strike his flag. The 
British had now complete control of lakes Ponchar- 
train and Borgne, and advancing up the latter, en- 
tered a canal, and finally effected a landing on the 
levee, about eight miles from the city. This levee 
acts as a bank to keep the river from the inland, 
which is lower than the surface of the water. Tliis 
levee, or bank, varies in width from a few hundred 
yards to two or three miles, and is covered with 
plantations.. Thus, now almost like a causeway, and 
again like an elevated plateau, it stretches away 
from the city, with the river on one side, and an im- 
passable swamp on the other. 

The forts that commanded the river were, by this 

manoeuvre of the enemy, rendered comparatively 
15 



302 ANDREW JACKSON. 

useless, and an open road to the city lay before liim, 
Jackson no sooner lieard that the British had effect- 
ed a landing, than he determined at once to attack 
them before their heavy artillery and the main body 
of the army conld be bronght forward. On the 23d, 
therefore, a few hours after they had reached the 
banks of the Mississippi, his columns were in motion, 
and by evening halted within two miles of the hos- 
tile force. His plans were immediately laid,' — the 
schooner of war, Caroline, commanded by Commo- 
dore Patterson, was ordered, soon after dark, to drop 
quietly down the river, and anchor abreast the Bri- 
tish encampment. General Coffee, with between 
six and seven hundred men, was directed to skirt 
the swamp to the left of the levee, and gain, undis- 
covered, the enemy's rear ; wdiile he himself, with 
thirteen hundred troops, would march directly down 
the river along the highway, and assail them in 
front. Tlie Caroline was to give the signal for a 
general attack. She, unmolested, swej3t noiselessly 
down with the cm'rent, gained her position, dropped 
her anchors, and opened her fire. The thunder and 
blaze of her guns, as grape-shot and balls came rat- 
tling and crashing into the camp of the British, 
were the first intimation they received of an attack. 
At the same time, Generals Coffee and Jackson gave 
the orders to advance. ISTight had now arrived, and 
although there w'as a moon, the fast rising mist from 



ATTACKS THE BRITISH. 303 

tlie swamps and river mingling with tlie smoke of 
tlie guns, so dimmed her light that objects conld he 
discerned only a short distance, save the watch-fires 
of the enemy, whicli bumed brightly through the 
gloom. Guided by these, Coffee continued to ad- 
vance, when suddenly he was met by a sharp fire. 
The enemy, retiring before the shot of the Caroline, 
liad left the bank of the river, not dreaming of a foe 
in their rear. Coffee was taken by surprise ; but 
this gallant commander had been in too many peri- 
lous scenes to be disconcerted, and ordering the 
charge to be sounded, he swept the field before 
him. 

Again and again the British rallied, only to l)e 
driven from their position. At length they made a 
determined stand in a grove of orange trees, behind 
a ditch which was lined with a fence. But the ex- 
cited troops charged boldly over the ditch, fence, 
and all, and lighting up the orange grove with the 
fire of their guns, and awakening its echoes w^ith 
their loud huzzas, jn'essed fiercely after tlie astonish- 
ed enemy, and forced them back to the river. Here 
the latter turned at bay, and for half an hour main- 
tained a determined fight. But being swejjt by such 
close and destructive volleys, they at length clam- 
bered down the levee, and turning it into a breast- 
work, repelled every attempt to dislodge them. 

In the meantime, Jackson had advanced along 



304 AOT)KEW JACKSON. 

the river. Guided by tlie guns of the Caroline, and 
the rockets of the enemy, that rose hissing from the 
gloom, he pressed swiftly forward. He had given 
directions to move by heads of companies, and, as 
soon as they reached the enemy, to deploy into line, 
which was to be extended till it joined that of General 
Coifee, thus forcing the British back upon the river, 
and keeping them under the guns of the Caroline. 
But, instead of doing this, they formed into line at the 
outset. The levee being wide where they formed, no 
inconvenience was felt from this marching order ; but, 
as it grew narrower, the left wing was gradually 
forced in, and being a little in advance, crowded and 
drove back the centre, creating confusion and arrest- 
ing its progress. The troops, however, continued to 
advance, and soon came upon the enemy, entrenched 
behind a deep ditch. Jackson, perceiving at a glance 
the advantage of their position, ordered it to be 
charged. The troops marched up to the edge of the 
ditch, poured one destructive volley over, then leaped 
after. The British retired behind another, and an- 
other, only to be again forced to retreat. At length, 
Jackson halted ; the enemy had withdrawn into the 
darkness, the Caroline had almost ceased her fire, 
while but random volleys were heard in the direction 
of Coffee's brigade. The uproar had ceased around 
him, while the rapidly increasing fog shrouded every- 
thing in gloom. Finding, too, that his left wing had 



HE RETREATS. 305 

got into inextricable confusion, and that a part of 
Coffee's troops were in no better condition, be deter- 
mined to withdraw. 

He had laid his plans with skill, and entertained no 
doubt of success ; and but for the fact that the Caro- 
line commenced her fire a little too early, and that 
the after false movement of his left wing prevented 
the rapid advance of the centre, he no doubt would 
have slain or captured nearly the whole three thou- 
sand opposed to him. But night attacks are always 
subject to failure through mistakes caused by the 
darkness, especially if the movements are at all com- 
plicated. A sudden, heavy onset, overturning every- 
thing before it, — a single, concentrated blow, like the 
fall of an avalanche, — are best fitted for the night. 

Still, Jackson did not despair of success, and deter- 
mined at daybreak, to renew the attack. But it was 
soon ascertained, from prisoners and deserters, that 
by morning the enemy would be six thousand strong, 
making a disparity against him he could not hope to 
overcome. He therefore fell back to a deep ditcli 
that stretched from the Mississippi, across the entire 
levee, to the swamp. Behind this he arrayed his 
troops, resolved, since nothing else could be done, to 
make there a determined stand. In his unsuccessful 
assault, he had lost, in killed, wounded, and prison- 
ers, two hundred and forty men ; while the enemy 
had been weakened by nearly double that number. 



306 ANDEEW JACKSON. 

Still, his plans had failed. One disaster after another 
had overtaken him, till now all his hopes rested on a 
bold and desperate battle. The gun-boats had been 
destroyed, leaving the lakes open to the enemy's 
ships. All the passes to the city had been guarded 
in vain. Through an unimportant and almost un- 
known canal, the enemy had passed unmolested, and 
landed where nothing but undisciplined troops lay 
between him and the city. Too strong to be assailed, 
the British could now complete their arrangements 
and array their strength at leisure. Undismayed, 
however, and unshaken in his confidence, Jackson 
gathered his little band behind this single ditch, and 
coolly surveyed his chances. He knew the history 
and character of the troops opposed to him ; he knew 
also how uncertain untrained militia were in a close 
and hot engagement. Still, he had resolved to try 
the issue in a great battle. No sooner was this deter- 
mination taken, than he set about increasing the 
strength of his position with every means in his 
power. He deepened and widened the ditch ; and 
where it terminated in the swamp, cut down the 
trees, thus extending the line still farther in, to pre- 
vent being outflanked. The gallant Coffee was placed 
here, who, with his noble followers, day after day, 
and night after night, stood knee-deep in the mud, 
and slept on the brush they piled together to keep 
them from the water. Sluices were also opened in 



FOKTiriES HIMSELF. 307 

tlie levee, and the waters of the Mississippi turned on 
the plain, covering it breast-deep. The earth was 
piled still higher on the edge of the ditch ; cotton 
bales were brought and covered over, to increase the 
breadth and depth of the breastwork. With a will 
unyielding as fate itself, tireless energy, and a frame 
of iron to match, Jackson no sooner set his heart on 
a great object, than he toiled towards it with a reso- 
lution — nay, almost fierceness — that amazed men. 
Kight and day the soldiers were kept at work, the 
sound of the spade and jiickaxe never ceased, while 
the constant rolling of wheels was heard, as wagons 
and carts sped to and from the city. Jackson, with 
his w^hole nature roused to the highest pitch of excite- 
ment, moved amid this busy scene, its soul and centre. 
Impervious to fatigue, he worked on when others sank 
to rest ; and at midday and midnight, he was seen 
reviewing his troops, or traversing the trenches to 
cheer the laborers, and for four days and nights 
scarcely took a moment's rest. 

In addition to the breastwork he was rearing on 
the east bank, he ordered General Morgan to take 
position on the right bank, opposite his line, and 
fortify it. To prevent the ships from ascending the 
river to co-operate with the army, he despatched 
Major Reynolds to obstruct and defend the pass of 
Barataria, — the channel through which they would 
in all probability attempt to approach. 



308 ANDREW JACKSON. 

In tlie meantime, the British were not idle. They 
had deepened the canal through which they had 
effected a landing, and thus assisted by the high 
waters of the Mississippi, been able to bring up larger 
boats, loaded with the heavy artillery. 

On the third day, a battery was observed, erected 
opposite the Caroline, which, after the good service 
she did in the night attack, had floated to the op- 
posite shore, where she continued to annoy the enemy. 
Jackson knew her perilous position, but there had 
been no wind sufficiently strong to enable her to stem 
the raj^id current ; and, on the morning of the 27th, 
the battery opened on her with shells and red-hot 
shot. She was soon in a blaze; and the crew, see- 
ing the attempt to save her useless, escaped to the 
shore. Soon after, she blew up, with a heavy ex- 
plosion. 

The next day. Sir Edward Packenham ordered an 
attack on the American works. The columns ad- 
vanced in beautiful order, and at the distance of half 
a mile opened their batteries, and, with bombshells 
and sky-rockets, endeavored to send confusion among 
the American militia. But the guns of the latter 
were admirably served, and told with great effect 
on the exposed ranks of the enemy. The Louisiana 
sloop of war, that lay opposite the American line, 
swung her broadside so as to bear on the advancing 
columns, and raked them with such a deadly fire that 



FIRST ATTACK. 809 

the assault was abandoned, and tlie array returned to 
its camp, with the loss of over a hundred men, while 
that of the Americans was but seven killed and eiglit 
wounded. But among the slain of the latter was 
Colonel Henderson, of the Tennessee militia, a man 
deeply lamented. 

Events were now evidently approaching a crisis; 
and the anxiety and interest deepened daily and 
hourly. To add to the weight which already pressed 
the heart of Jackson, he was told that the legislature 
had become frightened, and was discussing the pro- 
priety of surrendering the city. He immediately 
sent a despatch to Governor Clairborne, ordering him 
to watch its proceedings, and the moment such a pro- 
ject should be fairly formed, to place a guard at the 
door of the chamber, and shut the members in. In 
his zeal and warm-hearted patriotism, the governor 
determined to make sure work of it, and so turned tlie 
whole of them out of doors. Just before the execu- 
tion of this high-handed measure, a committee of the 
legislature waited on Jackson, to inquire what he de- 
signed to do if compelled to abandon his position. 
" If," he replied, " I thought the hair of my head 
could divine what I should do, I would cut it off 
forthwith. Go back with this answer ; say to your 
honorable body that if disaster does overtake me, 
and the fate of war drives me from my line to the 
city, that they may expect to have a warm sessionP 



310 ANDREW JACKSON. 

To one who asked liim afterwards what he would 
have done in such an emergency, he said, " I would 
have retreated to the city, fired it^ and fought the 
enemy amid the surrounding flames P A more heroic 
speech never fell from the lips of a commander. 
ITew Orleans in flames and Jackson charging down 
its blazing streets, would have presented one of the 
most frightfid exhibitions furnished in the annals of 
the war. 

The British, after the attack of the 2Sth, occupied 
their whole time in landing heavier cannon. Having 
completed their arrangements, thej resolved, on the 
1st of January, to make another attempt on tlie Ame- 
rican works. The Kew Year opened with a heavy 
fog, which shrouded tlie whole plain and British en- 
cam])ment from sight. Bat, from its mysterious 
bosom, ominous, muffled sounds arose, which were 
distinctly heard in every part of the American line ; 
and the troops stood to arms. At length, as the sun 
gathered strength, the fog lifted and parted ; and no 
sooner did the enemy, who had advanced their bat- 
teries within six hundred yards of the American in- 
trenchments, see their long, black lino stretching 
through the haze, than a tremendous burst of artillery 
shook the solid levee on which it stood. A flight of 
Congreve rockets followed, crossing and recrossing 
the heavens in all directions, and weaving a iiery net- 
work over the heads of the astonished but undaunted 



SECOND ATTACK. 311 

Americans. The first heavy explosion sent Jackson 
to the lines ; and luckily for him it did; for the 
British having been shown by a spy the house which 
he occupied, they directed a battery upon it, and in 
a few minutes it was riddled with balls. The Ameri- 
can artillery replied, and it was a constant roar of 
cannon till noon, when most of the English batteries 
being beaten down or damaged, ceased their fire. 
One near the river continued to play on the Ameri- 
can works till three o'clock, when it also became 
silent, and the enemy, baffled at every point, retired 
sullenly to his camp. 

The two armies, each expecting reinforcements, 
now rested for a w^eek from decisive hostilities. In 
the meantime, Jackson continued to strengthen his 
works and discipline his men. A Frenchman having 
come to him to complain of damage done to his prop- 
erty, the latter replied that, as he seemed to be a man 
of property, he knew of no one who had a better right 
to defend it, and, placing a musket in his hands, or- 
dered him into the ranks. 

During this week of comparative repose, ISTew Or- 
leans and the two hostile camps presented a spectacle 
of the most thrilling interest. The British army lay in 
full view of the American lines, their white tents look- 
ing, amid the surrounding water, like clouds of sail 
resting on the bosom of the river, while, at intervals, 
a random shot, or the morning and evening gun, sent 



312 ANDREW JACKSON. 

tlieir stem challenge to the foe. There was marching 
and countermarching, strains of martial music, and 
all the confused sounds of a camp life, while to them 
the American intrenchment, which stretched in a 
dark line across the plain, seemed silent as death, ex- 
cept when a solitary gun sent forth its sullen defiance. 
At intervals, in diiferent parts of the plain, would be 
heard the rattle of musketry, as skirmishing parties 
encountered each other. To the farmers, merchants, 
mechanics, and youths, who lay behind that breast- 
work, the scene and the thoughts it awakened were 
new. Behind them stood their homes ; before them, 
the veterans of Spain, whom, in a few days, they 
were to meet in final combat. In the city, the ex- 
citement kept increasing; but after the first battle, 
the patriotism of the population received a new im- 
pulse. In the night attack many of the troojDS had 
lost all their clothing except that which they wore on 
their backs, and hence soon began to suffer. No 
sooner was this known to the ladies than their fair 
hands were in motion ; and in a short time the wants 
of the soldiers were supplied. 

In the meantime, the long-expected Kentucky 
troops, upwards of two thousand strong, arrived. 
Courier after courier had been sent to hurry tlieir 
march ; and the last day had been one of incredible 
toil and speed. Only five hundred of them, how- 
ever, had muskets ; the rest were armed with fowl- 



FINAL PRErARATTONS. 313 

ing-pieccs, and such weapons as they could lay 
tlieir hands on. !Nor were there any means of sup- 
plying them, so that the accession of strength was 
comparatively trifling. General Lambert, too, had 
reinforced the British with several thousand veteran 
troops. A canal had been widened through the 
levee, by which boats were transported to the Mis- 
sissippi for that portion of the army which was des- 
tined to act against the fortifications on the west 
bank, commanded by General Morgan ; and now 
nothing remained to be done but advance at once to 
the assault of the American intrenchments, or aban- 
don the expedition. The latter alternative was not 
to be contemplated ; and, on the night of the 7tli, 
Jackson, surveying the encampment through his 
glass, discovered unmistakeable evidence that the 
enemy was meditating an important movement. 
The camp was in commotion ; the boats which had 
been dragged through the canal, and now lay moored 
to the levee, were being loaded with artillery and 
munitions of war, and everything betokened a hot 
to-morrow. Coffee still held the swamp on the left; 
Carroll, with his Tennesseans, the centre ; while 
Jackson, with the regulars under him, commanded 
in person the right, resting on the river. Behind 
Carroll were placed the Kentuckians, under General 
Adair: — in all, less than four thousand effective 
men. This was the position of affairs as the 



314 ANDREW JACKSOX. 

Sabbatli morning of tlie 8tli of January began to 
dawn. The light had scarcely streaked the east, 
when the inhabitants of New Orleans were startled 
from their slumbers by an explosion of cannon that 
shook the city. The battle had opened. Under 
cover of the night, heavy batteries had been erected 
within eight hundred yards of the American in- 
trenchments, and, the moment the fog lifted above 
them, they oj^ened their fire. A rocket, rising 
through the mist near the swamp, and another an- 
swering it from the shore, announced that all was 
ready. The next moment, two columns, eight or 
nine thousand strong, — one moving straight on Car- 
rol's position, the other against the right of the in- 
trenchments, — swept in double quick step across 
the plain. Three thrilling cheers rose over the dark 
intrenchments at the sight, and then all was still 
again. 

The levee here was contracted to fom* hundred 
yards in width, and as the columns, sixty or seventy 
deep, crowded over this avenue, every cannon on 
the breastwork was trained upon them by Barrata- 
rian and French engineers, and the moment they 
came within range, a murderous fire oi:)ened. Fright- 
ful gaps were made in the ranks at every discharge, 
which were closed by living men only the next mo- 
ment to be re-opened. 

The Americans stood with their hands clenched 



THE BATTLE. 315 

around tlieir muskets, gazing witli astonislinient on 
this new, unwonted scene. The cahu and steady 
advance under such an incessant and crushing lire 
carried with it the prestige of victory. As they ap 
proached the ditch, the columns swiftly, yet beauti- 
fully displayed, and under the cover of blazing 
bombs and sky-rockets, that filled the air in every 
direction, and stooped hissing over the American 
works, pressed forward, with loud cheers, to the 
assault. Nothing but cannon had hitherto spoken 
from that low breastwork ; but as those two doomed 
columns reached the farthest brink of the ditch, the 
word "Fire" ran along the American line, — the 
next moment the intrenchments were in a blaze. It 
was a solid sheet of flame rolling on the foe. Stun- 
ned by the tremendous and deadly volleys, tlie front 
ranks stopped and sunk in their footste2:)S, like snow 
when it meets the stream. But high over the thun- 
der of cannon were heard the words of command, 
and drums beating the charge ; and still bravely 
breasting the fiery sleet, the ranks pressed forward, 
but only to melt away on the brink of that fatal ditch. 
Jackson, with flashing eye and flushed brov,', rode 
slowly along the lines, cheering the men, and issuing 
his orders, followed by loud huzzas as he passed. 
From the eflect of the American volleys, he knew, 
if the troops stood firm, the day was his own, and 
with stirring appeals and confidant words he roused 



310 ANDREW JACKSON. 

them to the same cntliusiasm wliicli animated his 
breast and beamed from his face. The soldiers of 
Gen. Adair, stationed in the rear of Carrol, loaded for 
those in front, so there was no cessation to the fire. 
It was a constant flash and peal along the wdiole 
line. Every man was a marksman, every shot told, 
and no troops in the world conld long withstand such 
a destructive fire. The front of battle, torn and 
rent, wavered to and fro on the plain, when Packen- 
ham galloped uj), and riding bravely through the 
shaking ranks, for a moment restored order. The 
next moment he reeled from his saddle mortally 
wounded. Generals Gibbs and Keane, while nobly 
struggling to rally the men, were also shot down, 
and the maddened columns turned and fled. Lam- 
bert, hastening up with the reserve, met the fugi- 
tives, and endeavored, but in vain, to arrest the 
flight. They never halted till they reached a ditch 
four hundred yards distant, into which they flung 
themselves to escape the scourging fire that pursued 
them. Here he at last rallied them to another charge. 
The bleeding column, strengthened by the reserve, 
again advanced sternly, but hopelessly, into the 
deadly fire, and attempted to deploy. It was a last 
vain efibrt, — it was like charging down the mouth of 
a volcano, and the troops again broke and fled, 
smote at every step by the batteries. Col. Kennie 
led the attack against the redoubt on the right, and 



DEFEAT OF THE BRITISH. 317 

succeeded in entering, but found there his grave. 
Driven forth, the troops sought safety in flight ; hut 
the fire that pursued them was too fatal, and they 
threw themselves into a ditch, where they lay shel- 
tered till night, and then stole away under cover of 
the darkness. 

The ground in front of the American intrench- 
ments presented a frightful spectacle. It was red with 
the blood of men. The space was so narrow on 
which they had fought, that the dead literally cum- 
bered the field. 

The sun of that Sabbath morning rose in blood, 
and before he had advanced an hour on his course, 
a multitude of souls " unhouseled, unanneled," had 
passed to the stillness of eternity. 'New Orleans 
never before witnessed such a Sabbath morning. 
Anxiety and fear sat on every countenance. The 
road towards the American encampment was lined 
with trembling listeners, and tearful eyes were bent 
on the distance to catch the first sight of the retreat- 
ing army. But when the thunder and tumult ceased, 
and word was brought that the Americans still 
held the entrenchments, and that the British had re- 
treated in confusion, there went up a long, glad 
shout, — the bells of the churches rang out a joyous 
peal, and hope and confidence revived in every 
bosom. 

The attack on the rio;ht bank of the river had been 



318 ANDREW JACKSON. 

Buccessful, and but for the terrible liavoc on the left 
sliore, this stroke of good fortune might had changed 
the results of the day. The fort, from which Gen. 
Morgan had fled, commanded the interior of Jack- 
son's entrenchments, and a fire opened from it would 
soon have shaken the steadiness of his troops. But 
Col. Thornton, who had captured it, seeing the com- 
plete overthrow of the main army, soon after aban- 
doned it. 

The Americans, with that noble-hearted generos- 
ity which had distinguished them on every battle- 
field, hurried forth, soon as the firing was over, to 
succor the wounded, who they knew had designed 
to riot amid their own peaceful dwellings. " Beauty 
and booty," was the watchword in an orderly-book 
found on the battle-field ; and though there is not 
sufiicient reason to believe that the city would 
have been given over to rapine and lust, yet no 
doubt great excesses would have been tolerated. 
Tlie recent conduct of the English troops on the 
Atlantic coast, where no such resistance had been 
ofiered to exasperate the troops, furnished grounds 
for the gravest fears. 

The British in this attack outnumbered the Amer- 
icans about two to one, and yet the loss on the 
part of the latter was only thirteen killed and 
wounded, while that of the former was nearly two 
thousand. 



ENTERS NEW ORLEA^NS. 819 

An armistice was soon after concluded, and the 
British were allowed to retreat unmolested to tlieir 
sliips. The sails of that proud fleet, whose approaoJi 
had sent such consternation through the hearts of 
the inhabitants, were seen lessening in the horizon 
with feelings of unspeakable joy and triumph. All 
danger had now passed away, and Jackson made 
his triumphal entry into the city. The bells were 
rung, maidens dressed in white, strewed flowers 
in his path, the heavens echoed with acclamations, 
and blessings unnumbered were poured on his head. 

But as there had been foes and traitors to the 
American cause from the first appearance of the 
British fleet, so there were those now who stirred up 
strife, and by anonymous articles published in one 
of the city papers, endeavored to sow dissensions 
among the troops. It would, no doubt, have been 
better for Jackson, in the fulness of his triumph, and 
in the plenitude of his power, to have overlooked 
this. But these very men he knew had acted as 
spies while the enemy lay before his entrenchments, 
causing him innumerable vexations, and endanger- 
ing the cause of the country, and he determined as 
martial law had not yet been repealed, to seize the 
offenders. He demanded of the editor the name of 
the writer of a certain article, who proved to be a 
member of the legislature. lie then applied to 
Judge Ilall for a writ of habeas corpus, which was 



320 ANDREW JACKSON. 

granted, and tlie recreant statesman was tlirown into 
prison. Soon after, martial law being removed, 
Judge Hall issued an attachment against Jackson 
for contempt of court, and lie was brought before him 
to answer interrogatories. This he refused to do, and 
asked for the sentence. The judge, still smarting- 
under the remembrance of his former arrest by Jack- 
son, fined him a thousand dollars. A burst of indig- 
nation followed this sentence, and as the latter turned 
to enter his carriage, the crowd around seized it, and 
dragged it home with shouts. The fine was paid im- 
mediately ; but in a few hours the outraged citizens 
refunded the sum to the general. He, however, refused 
it, requesting it to be appropriated to a charitable 
institution. Judge Hall by this act secured for him- 
self the fame of the man who, to figure in history, 
fired the temple of Delj)hos. 

The arbitrary manner in which Jackson disposed 
of the State legislature and judges of the court, be- 
came afterwards the subject of much discussion, and 
during his political life the ground of heavy accusa- 
tions. If the contest is respecting the manner in 
which lie assumed arbitrary power, it is not worth 
discussing. But if, on the other hand, the assumption 
of the power at all is condemned, then the whole 
thing turns on the necessities of the case, and whether 
that use was made of it which the general good and 
not personal feelings required. That it was necessary, 



TAKES LEAVE OF IIIS TROOPS. 321 

W8 have no doubt. He had a right, as commander- 
in-chief of the army in that section to whom tlie de- 
fence of the Southern frontier had been intrusted, to 
force the civil power into obedience to the orders of 
the general government. lie was to defend and save 
New Orleans, and if the civil power proved treacher- 
ous or weak, it was his duty to see that it did not act 
against him while plainly in the path of his duty. 
New Orleans so considered it ; and six years after, the 
corporation appropriated fifty thousand dollars to the 
erection of a marble statue of him in the city. Con- 
gress thought so, when, thirty years after, it voted 
the repayment of the fine, with interest, from the date 
it was inflicted. 

Jackson remained in New Orleans till March, when 
he was relieved by General Gaines. On taking leave 
of his troops, who, by their cheerful endurance of 
hardships and their bravery, had become endeared to 
liim, he issued an address full of ecomiums on their 
conduct, and expressions of love for their character. 
lie concluded by saying, " Farewell, fellow-soldiers ! 
The expression of your General's thanks is feeble; but 
the gratitude of a country of freemen is yours, — 
yours the applause of an admiring world." "What a 
contrast does this man, covered with the laurels of 
his two recent campaigns, present to the captive boy, 
whose hand was brutally gashed by a subordinate 
British ofiicer, because he refused to black his boots ! 



322 ANDKEW JACKSOJT. 

Tliis world has changes. The Lid with his eye to the 
knot-hole at Camden watching the defeat of the 
American troops with anguish, and the hero gazing 
i:)rondly on the flying columns of the veteran troops 
of the British empire, are the same in soul,-T-but how 
different in position ! They say, " Time sets all 
things even." In Jackson's case, the wrongs done to 
his family by an oppressive nation, and the outrages 
he himself liad received, were terribly avenged. 

The country was once more at peace, and General 
Jackson turned his footsteps towards his j^eaceful 
home near ]^ashville. Acclamations, and bonfires, 
and salutes of artillery marked his progress ; and 
" Old Hickory," as he had been named, both from 
the firmness of his character, and from the " hickory 
grounds" where he prostrated the Creek nation, was 
in every one's mouth. 

Still holding his rank in the army, he was once 
more absorbed in agricultural pursuits, and the 
warrior became the peaceful farmer. He thus con- 
tinued the life of an ordinarj'- citizen for two years, 
when the troubles on the Southern frontier, arising 
from the depredations of the fugitive Creeks and 
Seminoles, together with runaway slaves, directed 
the attention of the government to him. General 
Gaines had been stationed on the frontiers to pre- 
serve peace ; but instead of succeeding, he had lost 
one of his best officers, Lieutenant Scott, who with 



ORDEKED TO FLOEIDA. 323 

forty-seven others, several of tliem women and clilldren, 
were massacred in cold blood. A prompt, resolute, ex- 
ecutive man, was evidently needed in that quarter, and 
Jackson was at once ordered to proceed to Fort Scott, 
and take command. He was authorized to call, if neces- 
sary, on the neighboring States for help ; also, if circum- 
stances should justify it, to cross the boundary line of 
Florida, on to S^janish ground. Putting himself at 
the head of the Tennessee volunteers, he repaired to 
the post assigned him. Finding that large bands of 
hostile negroes and Indians were protected by the 
S^janish authorities, either through fear or through 
enmity to the United States, he did not hesitate to 
cross the border. He marched at once into the 
Seminole towns, where strings of recent scalps attested 
the success of these marauders. Hastening on to St. 
Mark's, he found that it was virtually in possession of 
the enemy. Chiefs and warriors, and British incen- 
diaries, carried on their machinations, and held their 
councils of war in the commandant's own quarters. 
He, therefore, at once demanded the surrender of the 
fort, to be garrisoned by American troops for the pro- 
tection of American interests. A refusal being sent, 
he quietly marched his army into it, and seizing 
several British bandits, who were stirring up the 
Indians to massacre, made summary work with them. 
One Arbuthnot, an Indian trader, was tried by court- 
martial, and shot. Ambrister, formerly a lieutenant 



324 ANDREW JACKSON. 

in the British marine corps, received a milder seii- 
tence, which Jackson disapproved of. It was, there- 
fore, reconsidered, and he, too, was shot. By this 
stern and decided action, having quelled the disturb- 
ances, he was about to dismiss the troops, when he 
received information that the Governor of Pensacola 
was giving protection to the hostile savages, furaishing 
them with ammunition, provisions, &c., and that a 
number had lately sallied out from that place and mur- 
dered eighteen Americans. On their return, they 
were received with favor by the Governor, and sup- 
plied with the means of escape from the pursuit of 
American troops. Enraged at this violation of treaty 
sti]3ulations, Jackson, with twelve hundred men, took 
up his line of march for the town, scouring the coun- 
try as he went. The Governor .of West Florida, hear- 
ing of his approach, sent a stern protest against the in- 
vasion of his territory, and threatened, if he advanced 
farther, to repel him by force of a^-ms. The next day 
the latter was in Pensacola. The terrified Governor 
fled to Fort Carlos de Barrancos. Thither the inde- 
fatigable American commander followed him, and 
soon the Stars and Stripes were floating above the 
fort. He then sent out small companies to overrun 
the surrounding country, and annihilate the small 
bands that still hutig together. 

Thus, in a short time, he finished the Seminole 



SEMINOLE WAR, 825 

campaign ; and in June of the same year returned to 
the Ilermitage. 

The bold course he had taken, the responsibility he 
had assumed, demanded inquiry. Many blamed him 
for the execution of Arbuthnot and Ambrister, — others 
denounced his violation of Spanish territory. But 
his course, throughout, was sustained by the govern- 
ment ; and next year, when Florida was ceded to the 
United States, the president appointed him commis- 
sioner to receive the provinces, and governor, endowed 
with all the civil and judicial, as well as military author- 
ity, which the Spanish governors had wielded. He ac- 
cepted the appointment, though with reluctance, and 
in July, 1821, issued his gubernatorial proclamations 
at Pensacola. It was stipulated in the Treaty of 
Cession that all public documents and papers relating 
to the government should be surrendered. This, 
however, was not done ; and Jackson having received 
a petition stating that papers affecting the rights of 
some orphan females were wrongfully kept back by 
the ex-governor Callava, and that they were now in the 
hands of a man named Sousa, ordered three officers to 
wait on the latter gentleman, and demand them. Re- 
fusing to surrender them, he was summoned to ap- 
pear before the American Governor. He came ; 
but stated he had sent the papers to the ex- 
governor. Jackson then despatched officers to 

the ex-governor, with orders to demand them, 
16 



326 AISTDEEW JACKSON. 

and if he refused to give tliem \rp^ to seize botli him 
and his steward. The Governor treating the demand 
with contempt, he was unceremoniously walked off 
to Jackson. Refusing to surrender them to the latter 
also, he was locked up in prison. 'Next morning the 
papers were obtained, when the declaration of the 
petitioners was found to be true. Having obtained 
the papers, Jackson ordered the ex-governor to be re- 
leased from confinement. Tlie latter afterwards pub- 
lished a severe attack on him in one of the joxirnals, 
and the high-handed measures of the American Gov- 
ernor, as they were called by many, were denounced 
in various quarters. But he took the same course with 
the ex-governor of East Florida with regard to im- 
portant documents, who in turn protested against 
the act. Several Spanish officers attacked him 
through the newspapers, and attempted to create 
dissatisfaction and disturbance. Jackson disposed 
of them more eifectually than he did of the ex- 
governors. Telling them that by the treaty they 
were to leave the provinces in six months after its 
ratification, and as the time had now more than 
expired, he would give them only a week to depart- 
They hm-ried away from the jurisdiction of a man 
whose blows folloAved his words so fast, and who 
seemed to have so little respect for Castilian blood. 
Murmurs and complaints can make but little pro- 
gress against such prompt and decisive action, and 



RESIGNS HIS COMMISSION. 327 

order and peace were soon restored. His liealth, 
however, failing, he was compelled to leave the 
direction of aflairs in the hands of his secretaries, 
and return home. 

It is not our province to discnss the conduct of 
Jackson in relation to the Seminole war, or his 
measures as governor. They were carefully sifted 
by the government, and approved of, and though 
afterwards used against him by political opponents, 
they have never been condemned by the only tribu- 
nal that has a right to adjudicate in the matter. 

Jackson's health continuing feeble, he resigned 
liis commission in the army, and became once more 
a private citizen. In 1823, President Monroe ten- 
dered him the office of minister plenipotentiary to 
Mexico, which was declined. In the fall, he was 
elected to the Senate of the United States, and held 
his seat for two years. During this time he became 
a candidate for the presidency. It is well known 
that at the election in 1824, although he received 
more electoral votes than either of his three rivals, 
he did not obtain the majority over all combined, 
as required by the Constitution, and the election, 
therefore went to the House of Representatives, 
which threw its vote for John Quincy Adams. 

Tlie next campaign, of 1828, was of a violent 
character. Jackson was again a candidate, and 
party spirit ran so high, and became so unscrupu- 



328 ANDREW JACKSON. 

lous, that the most monstrous accusations were 
brought against him. His services to his country- 
seemed to be obliterated from the minds of his as- 
sailants, and hatreds were begun, and feelings en- 
gendered, whose desolating effects have scarcely yet 
passed away. Jackson, however, was triumphantly 
elected, having received a hundred and seventy- 
eight of the electoral votes, while but eighty-three 
were cast for Mr. Adams. 

The removal of the Indian tribes, intimation of 
his ajDproaching attack on the United States bank, 
and the avowal of a determination to adjust at once 
the northeastern boundary with Great Britain, then 
a bone of contention, and obtain payment of the 
claims of American citizens against France, were 
the chief topics of interest in his first inaugural. 
His veto of the bill which passed both houses of 
Congress in May, 1830, authorizing a subscription of 
stock in the " Maysville, Washington, Paris, and Lex- 
ington Turnpike Road Company," was an act which 
excited much discussion dm'ing the year .1830. 

In '32, the bill to recharter the Bank of the 
United States passed both houses of Congress, but 
was vetoed by Jackson. Probably the currency of 
a country never received so sudden and disastrous a 
blow from the hand of its ruler, as ours did from 
this veto message. 

But, notwithstanding the terrible derangement 



ABKESTS DISUNION. 329 

into winch tlie moneyed interests had been thrown, 
and the wide-spread denunciation of the arbitrary 
act that had effected it, he was in this year re- 
elected to the presidency by an overwhelming ma- 
jority, receiving two hundred and nineteen votes, 
while Henry Clay received but forty-nine, John 
Floyd eleven from South Carolina, and William 
Wirt seven from Yermont. 

During the first summer of his second administra- 
tion, South Carolina openly proclaimed the right of 
secession from the confederacy. The organization 
of an army was commenced, and arms procured 
under the sanction of the State, to repel all attempts 
by the general government to execute the revenue 
laws, which she declared to be unjust in their oper- 
ation on her. The strength of the tie that bound 
the Union together, was now to be tested. Tlie 
power of a separate State to retire from the comj)act 
was no longer a claiin loudly vaunted, it had been 
assumed, and now it was to be seen, whether the 
power of the Federal government was only in words 
or whether it would dare to exercise it, if necessary, 
even at the bayonet's point. The attitude of this 
wayward, selfish, and disturbing State, had brought 
on a crisis, the termination of which would affect 
the history of our republic to remotest time. A 
weak and temporizing President, would, inevitably 
have produced a state of things from which the 



330 ANDREW JACKSON. 

Federal government must have emerged weakened 
in its autliority and crippled in its power. The 
Union would have been a fiction and en unmixed 
republic the jest and bye-word of Europe. For such 
a crisis as South Carolina presented, no President 
since Washington was so well adapted as Jackson. 
The very executiveness of character — the readi- 
ness to assume responsibility, fearless of conse- 
quences — the frightful energy with which he exe- 
cuted what he thought to be right — qualities and 
characteristics certain to lead to error in the ordi- 
nary course of calm legislation, ware just what was 
wanted in this collision between a State and the 
Union. The same determination which overawed 
the lawless frontier men of Tennessee, quelled mu- 
tiny in his array, and frightened into inactivity the 
discontented spirits of I^ew Oi'leans, shone forth 
conspicuously and gloriously here. He immediately 
garrisoned the fortifications in that State, and in his 
next annual message called on Congress to attend 
to this matter. Still pursuing her treasonable 
course. South Carolina declared officially that the acts 
of Congress to which she had objected, were null 
and void. This was followed by Jackson's famous 
proclamation, which remains to this day, the noblest 
monument to his memory. Planting himself on the 
Constitution, he calmly, yet irresistibly struck down 
every argument used by the State, made clear as 



HIS PROCLAMATION. 331 

noonday the duty of tlie Federal government, and 
then appealed to his native State in the language of 
true patriotism, calling on his fellow-citizens to re- 
member her Sumter's, Rutledges, and Pinckneys, 
to remember the glorious Union, for which they had 
fought, and implored heaven to preserve them from 
the guilt of " TREASON." In the meantime, he took 
steps which clearly indicated the course he had re- 
solved to pursue. His well-known character — the 
promj)tness and fearlessness with which he executed 
his plans — the absolute certainty that his blow 
would exceed the threat that preceded it, and that 
in j)ursuing the path of his duty, he would walk un- 
flinchingly over State authority, local legislature, 
armed citizens, and prostrate towns, awed the clam- 
orous, and hushed into silence the loud-talking poli- 
ticians, who delighted in high-sounding speeches, 
but swerved from an encounter, which was to be so 
deadly and final. A thousand errors growing out of 
such an executive character and affecting only the 
financial affairs of a nation, could be forgiven for 
one act, springing from the same source, that pre- 
served the integrity of the Union. His conduct in 
this crisis is a precedent for all our future chief ma- 
gistrates ; and taking into consideration not the j)os- 
sihle but ihe jprobable evils which are to threaten us, 
will more than compensate for the dangerous and 
unconstitutional use which he made of the veto 



332 - ANDKEW JACKSON. 

power. ISTow that tlie liatred and injustice of party 
spirit have passed away, or been buried in the true 
patriot's grave, we can look calmly on his political 
life. His conduct towards the United States Bank, 
cannot be justified. Granting the corruption of that 
institution and the abuse of its influence and power, 
the duty of the President remained the same. The 
responsibility rested on Congress. In a republic, 
corruption and the abuse of public confidence is 
sure to be avenged in time, and the pecuniary loss 
which shall occur in the short interval between the 
crime and punishment, is not to be compared with 
the dangerous precedent set by a ruler who inter- 
feres with the ordinary course of legislation with his 
individual opinions, enforced through his official 
power. To re-charter the United States Bank, grant- 
ing all to be true that was said of it (and of its cor- 
ruption there can be no doubt,) would not have been 
so great a violation of the spirit of the Constitution, as 
was this stretch of the veto power, and the removal 
of the deposits in direct violation of the vote of Con- 
gress. Such conduct, if continued in and legitimately 
carried out, would end in making the Congress of the 
United States as destitute of authority and power as 
the French Senate and Assembly are under Louis ISTa- 
j)oleon. It would, in fact, place the control of the 
legislative action entirely in the hands of the execu- 
tive. Tlie Constitution bestowed the veto power to 



THE VETO POWER. 383 

clieclv plain and intentional violations of its decrees, 
not to arrest the natnral course of legislation. In a 
republic, Congress has nothing to gain from the nse 
of arbitrary power, but an individual may have 
much to gain. A corrupt institution is bad, but the 
establishment of a principle or precedent dangerous 
to representative freedom is worse. At first sight, 
it seems strange, that one with Jackson's democratic 
feelings and tendencies, should have departed so far 
in this respect, from all who had preceded him, from 
those even who believed in concentrating all the 
power that could be obtained from the Constitution 
and patronage in the executive. But, it must be 
remembered, that he not only always exhibited this 
contradiction of character, but it made him the 
remarkable man he was. He loved the untutored 
freedom of western life, but he allowed no discus- 
sion or remonstrance to interfere with the discharge 
of his duty. He loved the volunteer system, and 
called on the young men of his State as freemen to 
gather under his banner, but when there, he de- 
manded implicit obedience to his commands, and 
paying no attention to remonstrances or menaces, 
punished with unrelenting severity those who refused. 
It is unjust and exhibits a narrow spirit to judge 
such a man by ordinary rules. Born evidently, to 
fulfil a certain destiny, he became a law, as it were, 
to himself, which those who denounce the strongest 



334 ANDREW JACKSON. 

at first, in the end are compelled to acknowledge as 
good in its general workings. Besides, the same 
independent, resolute, and fearless character, which, 
in the commencement of his career, prompted him 
to disobey the orders of the Secretary of War, to 
disband his troops, — the same which faced down a 
mutinous army, and carried him gloriously through 
the Creek Campaign — the same which laid violent 
hands on the legislature and court of a State, and 
finally triumphed over the veteran troops of Eng- 
land, — the same which to finish the Seminole war, 
hesitated not to march into the territory of another 
State, — the same which saved the republic from 
civil war and the Union from shipwreck, would 
inevitably lead in civil matters to the arbitrary use 
of power. A character so formed by nature, and 
educated by circumstances cannot bend to a course 
that wars with its convictions. To expect it is to 
expect impossibilities. The use of the veto power 
and the removal of the deposits from the United 
States Bank, were undoubtedly unconstitutional, if 
the definition of one of England's greatest historians 
of an unconstitutional act be correct, viz., " one that 
is a perilous innovation on former usages." In this 
respect, Jackson was like Tiberius Gracchus, one of 
the Roman tribunes, who forcibly removed Octavius, 
his colleague, because lie vetoed his Agrarian bill. 
The speech by which the latter endeavored to justify 



ms rPvOTEST. 335 

himself, reminds one forcibly of Jackson's defence. 
They were both made after the same model of Eoman 
virtue and fearlessness, and while striving for the wel- 
fare of the people sometimes transgressed their legiti- 
mate powers, and like Yergniaud, the great and elo- 
quent Girondin, were called upon to ponder that 
fearful problem which the latter uttered in the French 
Assembly, "Is a magistrate to le suffered constitio- 
tionaUy to ruin the Constitution f^ 

Tliat Jackson reverenced the Constitution no im- 
partial man can doubt ; and yet the resolution in- 
troduced by Mr. Clay in the Senate, declaring that 
he had acted in derogation of it, is also true in iact. 
The passage of this resolution called forth a protest 
from the President, and it now stands on the re- 
cords of that body, surrounded by a great black 
mark, put there by the expurgating act. The 
protest was an able one, and the closing sentences 
eloquent and noble. The imputation of acting from 
corrupt motives filled Jackson with sorrow. Said 
he : " I have lived in vain, if it be necessary to en- 
ter into a formal vindication of my character and 
motives from such an imputation. In vain do I 
bear upon my person enduring memorials of that 
contest in which American liberty was purchased, — 
in vain have I since perilled property, fame, and 
life, in defence of the rights and privileges so dearly 
bought, — in vain am I now, without a personal aspi- 



336 ANDREW JACKSON. 

ration or the hope of individual advantage, encoun- 
tering resj^onsibilities and dangers from which, by 
mere inactivity in relation to a single point, I might 
have been exemj^t, — if any serious doubts can be 
entertained as to the purity of my purposes and 
motives. If I had been ambitious, I should have 
sought an alliance w^ith that powerful institution 
which, even now, aspires to no divided empire. If 
I had been venal, I should have sold -myself to its 
designs. Had I preferred personal comfort and of- 
ficial ease to the performance of my arduous duty, 
I should have ceased to molest it. In the history of 
conquerors and usurpers, never, in the fire of youth, 
nor in the vigor of manhood, could I find an attrac- 
tion tO' lure me from the path of duty ; and now I 
shall scarcely find an inducement to commence their 
career of ambition, when gray hairs and a decaying 
frame, instead of inviting to toil and battle, call me 
to the contemplation of other worlds, where con- 
querors cease to be honored, and usurper expiate 
their crimes. 

" The only ambition I can feel is, to acquit myself 
to Ilim to whom I must soon render an account of 
my stewardship, to serve my fellow-men, and live 
respected and honored in the history of my coun- 
try, No ! the ambition which leads me on is an 
anxious desire and a fixed determination to return to 
the people, unimpaired, the sacred trust they have 



HIS TEOTEST. 337 

confided to my ctiarge ; to heal tlie wounds of tlie 
Constitution, and preserve it from further violation ; 
to persuade my countrymen, so far as I may, that it 
is not in a splendid government, supported by pow- 
erful monopolies and aristocratical establishments, 
that they will find hapj)iness, or their liberties pro- 
tection, but in a plain system, void of pomp, protect- 
ing all, and granting favors to none, dispensing its 
blessings like the dews of heaven, unseen and un- 
felt, save in the freshness and beauty they contri- 
bute to produce. It is such a government that the 
genius of our people requires ; — such an one only 
under which our States may remain, for ages to 
come, united, prosperous, and free. K the Almighty 
Being, who has hitherto sustained and protected me, 
will but vouchsafe to make my feeble powers instru- 
mental to such a result, I shall anticipate with plea- 
sure the place to be assigned me in the history of 
my country, and die contented with the belief that 
I have contributed, in some small degree, to in- 
crease the value, and prolong the duration of Ame- 
rican liberty." 

There is a noble sorrow in this allusion to his ser- 
vices and sufiering in the cause of his country's free- 
dom, — a lofty candor in the declaration of the purity 
of his motives, — which it is impossible to resist. 
He loved his country above life or fame. A more 
patriotic heart never beat in a human bosom ; and 



f38 AJ^DKEW JACKSON. 

^.t was tlie consciousness of this that gave him such 

;i strong hold upon the heart of the American 

people. 
This collision, however, between him and the 

Senate embittered the close of his administration ; 
for, as he had disregarded the resolutions of that 
body, so they disregarded his nominations ; and 
much hostility was engendered, which spread among 
the partisans of each. 

France neglecting to pay the instalment agreed 
upon in the Convention of 1831, Jackson, in the 
message of 1833, recommended the passage of a 
law authorizing reprisals to be made on French 
proj)erty on the high seas. This bold and decided 
step aroused the anger of the French government ; 
and our minister at Paris was offered his passports. 
Louis Philippe, however, thought better of it, paid 
the instalment, and, several years after, sent an 
artist to take Jackson's portrait, that he might hang 
it up beside that of Washington. 

Just before the close of Jackson's second term, he 
was seized with a severe hemorrhage of the lungs, 
which completely prostrated him. He, however, 
sufficiently recovered to attend the inauguration of his 
successor, and then returned to the Hermitage. 'No 
president since the time of Washington ever wielded 
BO great a political influence after his retirement as 
he. He was still the oracle of his party ; and every 



HIS DEATH. 339 

ear was turned to catcli the words of counsel that 
should fall from his lips. Though feeble in health, 
he took a great interest in the j^olitics of his coun- 
try, and watched the course of public events with 
unceasing anxiety. 

He lived eight years after his retirement from 
office, most of which time he sj^eut on his estate. 
He was a member of the Presbyterian church ; and, 
to accommodate his servants and family, built a 
house of worship on his own j)lantation. In 1845 
his health began to fail rapidly. His disease was 
dropsy, from which he suffered great pain, so that, 
for months previous to his death, he was unable to 
lie down at all, and could get no sleep except by 
taking opiates. He bore all, however, with forti- 
tude ; and the principles which his mother had in- 
stilled into his youthful heart now began to bear 
their fruit. Tlie hero of so many battles, and the 
fearless and desperate warrior, turned, with the 
meekness of a child, to the Bible for solace and sup- 
port. Said he : "I am in the hands of a merciful 
God. I have full confidence in his goodness and 
mercy. My lamp of life is nearly out, and the last 
glimmer is come. I am ready to depart when 
called. The Bible is true. Ui^on that sacred vol- 
ume I rest my hoj^e of eternal salvation, through 
the merits and blood of our blessed Lord and 
Saviom-, Jesus Christ." Sunday morning, the 8th 



340 ANDEEW JACKSON. 

of June, lie swooned for a while, and it was supposed 
the spirit had fled. But, at length, reviving, he 
called around him his family and servants, and took 
his last farewell of them. Said he : " Do not grieve 
that I am about to leave you, for I shall be better 
off. Although I am afflicted with pain and bodily 
suffering, they are nothing, compared with the suf- 
ferings of the Saviour of the world, who was put to 
death on the accursed tree. I have fulfilled my 
destiny on earth ; and it is better that this worn-out 
frame should go to rest, and my spirit take up its 
abode with the Kedeemer." In this strain of reli- 
gious feeling he continued, at intervals, to talk to 
those around him, gradually sinking lower and 
lower until evening, when he quietly passed away. 

As memory runs back over the career of this in- 
domitable man, one turns with amazement to this 
death-scene. What an exhibition of the power of 
religion to calm and subdue the passionate natm*e, 
and turn the lion into the lamb ! 

Andrew Jackson was one of the most remarkable 
men our country has produced. He was a type — 
although a somewhat exaggerated one — of the true 
American character. Kind and gentle in domestic 
life, prompt, fearless and inflexible as a soldier, 
rapid in his perceptions, and resolute in executing 
his plans, cool and courageous in the hour of danger, 
and generous and self-sacrificing to a fallen foe, he 



niS CHAEACTER. 341 

had mingled in him the finest traits of a man. He 
had also the power of adapting himself to the sit- 
uation he was in, and seemed always equal to every 
emergency. Warm in his attachments, and fierce 
in his anger, he had devoted friends, and bitter ene- 
mies. Irritable and impetuous, he, in moments of 
excitement, did many things that cannot be justified. 

Perhaps the weakest point in his character was 
his inability to deny a friend a favor. He could 
say " No " to a foe, but not to one who loved him. 
From this failing, no doubt, sprung that bad feature 
of his administration which has now become a set- 
tled policy, — viz., the distribution of all places of 
profit or honor to partisans. 

General Jackson was tall and thin ; — a perfect 
Cassius, as all men of irritable and impetuous tem- 
peraments are ; and it was the spirit, more than the 
body, that gave him such wonderful endurance. 
His blue eye, whesa no emotion mastered him, gave 
no indication of the terrible fire that lay beneath its 
kind expression ; for, when suddenly roused by pas- 
sion or danger, it shot forth lightning, and his 
large features were written all over with the soul ou 
fire. 

Honors were everywhere paid to his memory; 
and friends and foes acknowledged that a great man 
had fallen. 






-r-^-tyvYir^ 



